Elemental Allies
by MagicWriterK
Summary: Perseus Jackson two-time Saviour of Olympus has become ostracized and loathed by his fellow demigods. Just before he's about to take his life, he is approached by Chaos. Chaos brings him to his base, where he meets Axel, Amy, and Fiorella. They become the Elementals of Chaos, immortal guardians of the solarsystem. But what happens when Percy's duties force him to confront his past?
1. The Beginning Of The End

Perseus Jackson gazed emotionlessly into the gleaming Celestial Bronze that was Riptide. Somber seagreen orbs stared back at him, giving a glimpse of a lifetime of unfairness, injustice, action, death, adventure, heartbreak, betrayal, and so much more. If he squinted closely at the dark pupils in the center, he could see the life changing ordeal playing in his mind like a cruel movie - the betrayal of his fellow demigods and closest friends.

* * *

**Flashback**

Percy Jackson was content. He strolled through Camp Half-Blood, thinking of his fortune. He had survived yet another war. The casualties had been great. He had lost a massive amount of friends and allies, the most dramatic being Leo Valdez, who had blown up in midair, effectively destroying Gaea, but also eliminating himself. It didn't help that the pain in the butt Octavian had launched some sort of bomb at them, and everyone was more ready than ever to strangle him. But neither the death of his friend nor the happy thought of wringing out Octavian's neck with his bare hands was on his mind at the moment. No, not at all.

Percy was thinking of Annabeth Chase.

Annabeth had been injured in the war, but had survived to his infinite pleasure. In fact, the son of Poseidon was going to meet her at that very moment. Apparently, she had something very important to say to him.

"Meet me down by the climbing wall at 4 p.m. It's important, so try to be on time for once Seaweed Brain."

Her words played through his head like a scratched CD player. He wondered if maybe Connor Stoll had been awoken yet. His friend had been mortally wounded in the fight. Although Will Solace had assured his brother and worried friends the injury was 99% likely to be not fatal, the young prankster would remain in a light coma for a bit. How long was unclear, but Will had been sure it would be under a year. Percy certainly hoped Will was right. Travis sat by his younger brothers' bed at his every waking moment, not bothering to play pranks without his favorite partner-in-crime. The workers at the infirmary had long since given up trying to drag the stubborn Stoll out after dark. Each time he had adamantly (and loudly!) claimed that his bro, practically his soulmate (not in a romantic way) could be on his death bed, and Travis wouldn't leave him for so much as five minutes. Katie Gardner came to accompany him often, and when questioned about it she replied "Oh, Travis and I started dating five minutes before the big battle. Didn't you know?" Percy chuckled at what a lively pair they would make. He was happy for them. Percy was shaken from his reverie when he heard a familiar voice say "You're late, Seaweed Brain!".

Percy chuckled at the sight of his girlfriend with her hands on her hips, and both eyebrows cocked.

"Sorry, Wise girl," he apologized, attempting to give her his puppy face, complete with a quivering lower lip and wide eyes.

"I already told you, never going to work!" she explained, sighing at his tactics.

"Okay, okay...what did you want to talk about?" he replied, his sad pout stretching into a wide smile. She grinned back and motioned for him to follow her.

Percy dutifully obeyed, and together, they scaled the climbing wall with ease.

"I totally beat you," he teased, as they sat on the very top.

"Did not!" she shot back, smirking slightly.

"What did you want to talk about?" he questioned, changing the subject.

At this, Annabeth seemed to take a sudden interest in her lap, practically burning a hole into it with her intense glare.

"Annabeth?" the boy whispered, his mood going from teasing to deadly serious in milliseconds.

Her head suddenly whipped up, and her glare was was fixed upon him. Furious gray bore into startled seagreen.

"End of the line, Jackson!" she hissed, and promptly pushed her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, off the wall.

Percy could only respond with a squeaky "What?" before he was plummeting to the lava and boulders below. Thinking quickly, he latched on to a boulder on the way down with his left hand. His knuckles turned white as he held on like his life depended on it.

Which it did.

"Annabeth! Help!" he screamed, hoping desperately that it had been an accident, that his beloved would save him.

"Help you? Like you helped Nera?" Annabeth shouted.

"Who?" Percy asked, dumbfounded.

"You know who, Perseus Jackson! Don't act like you don't!"

As a matter of fact, Percy DID know who Nera was. But only in the loosest sense.

Even though he had tried to block it out, he was fully aware the campers had been ignoring him. For what reason, he knew not. If he smiled and waved at someone, they would sneer. If he asked if someone needed help, or wanted to go hang out, they would turn their noses at him. Sometimes, they threw in a comment about a person named Nera.

"Hang out? I think Nera needs it more, Jackson."

"I don't need your help! As a matter of fact, why don't you go help your half-sister? Nera could use it."

Every time, Percy would tilt his head and furrow his brow in confusion. This had been happening for over a month now, and Percy had given up on trying to question people about it. Percy still wanted to know who Nera was, he wanted to know very badly. Because of this 'Nera' person, he was being shunned and ignored. Even his closest friends at CHB, Piper, Jason, Katie, Clarisse, and Rachel had begun to act awkward and distant around him. Thalia was with the hunters, and Nico had been spending some time at Camp Jupiter with Frank, Hazel, Nico, and Reyna. Only Annabeth was left. But now it seemed even she had turned against him.

Her response was to throw rocks.

One by one, each of her rocks hit their target, and one by one, each of Percy's quivering fingers were knocked from their hold, until only his thumb was left, slipping at an alarming rate.

Percy searched Annabeth's face for any sign of remorse or regret, or any sign that would indicate she was possessed, or not in her right mind.

He found none.

"Good-bye, Perseus Jackson," she said simply, as his thumb finally betrayed and sent him shooting down towards the ground once again.

_'I guess this is the end. How ironic that Percy Jackson, savior of Olympus, would be killed not in battle, saving a friend, or doing a good deed. No, he would die for reasons unbeknownst to him, at the hands of the one he loved. And nobody would mourn _him,_ because he had apparently had committed some terrible offense to an overrated weirdo named Nera.'_ Percy thought bitterly.

He glanced over his shoulder. The ground was coming at him fast.

"This is the end.." he muttered, fastening his eyes shut and bracing himself for the impact.

_**WHAP!**_

* * *

**Me: Sorry not sorry for ending it like this. ;P**

**Annabeth: *gloomy***

**Me: Sorry Annabeth. I know you feel terrible, but I am a Percabeth shipper, so there's a high chance of you guys getting back together. But I'm going to put it to a vote with the readers. Although, Percabeth may have two votes from me. And yes, I get two votes. I am the author. Again, sorry not sorry.**

**Nico: Thank the stars she doesn't own us, or our story.**

**Me: Oh, thanks for the disclaimer...**

**Me: AND THAT REMINDS ME. This story was inspired by the story Zayden Blaze, a wonderful story by Lmb111514. I seriously recommend it to any and every one! So what are you waiting for? Open it in a new tab!**

**Leo: What about me?**

**Me: I haven't forgotten you. ;) WARNING - BoO spoilers!**

**You see, I know Leo resurrects and appears at Calypso's island. But in my mind, this takes place before Leo is able to build something to take them both to CHB. So yes, Caleo will appear later.**

**Me: And, on to my next announcement (flips notepad page) gosh, so many! I just wanted to apologize to the people to whom I told I was going to write this story. I wanted to read the PJO series again, and my grades are slipping...so...poor excuses they are, however true they may be.**

**THIS CHAPTER IS BEING OFFERED UP TO GOD, AS A THANK YOU FOR SPARING MY FATHER'S LIFE. TODAY, A CAR A FEW CARS IN FRONT OF HIM STOPPED SUDDENLY, AND ALL THE CARS HAD TO SLAM ON THEIR BREAKS. WELL, THE ICE IS SUPER SLIPPERY AND THICK, AND THE CAR'S BREAKS SUDDENLY COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO WORK...AND...AND...! Look, I'm just so thankful to God that my Daddy's alive, just ignore this if you want, I felt it was necessary, and I refuse to apologize for any offence I may have committed to people and their religion.**


	2. Farewell

_**Previously on Elemental Allies...**_

-Percy is being ostracized by the camp for reasons unbeknownst to him

-Annabeth just tried to kill Percy by shoving him off the climbing wall and throwing rocks at him

-Percy is currently hurtling towards the ground

**On to chapter 2!**

* * *

Percy cracked open one eye. Then the other. He was soaring above Camp Half-Blood! He glanced around to see the biggest live eagle he had ever seen clutching him in his talons. He didn't struggle - he would fall to the death he had just escaped if he did - and instead inspected the eagle. It's feathers were a soft black, and its dark eyes sparkled with kindness.

The eagle gently placed Percy on the grass next to the climbing wall. Percy promptly kissed the ground.

"Than-" Percy began, turning around to show his gratitude to the eagle. But in the eagle's place stood Frank Zhang, praetor of Camp Jupiter.

"Frank!" Percy exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? How did it happen? Do you need to go to the infirmary? Percy?" Frank shot questions at Percy like a rapid fire cannon, grabbing Percy by the shoulders and staring at him with genuine concern.

_'I almost forgot what it was like to have someone worry about me,_' Percy realized thoughtfully.

"I'm fine Frank, thanks for catching me. Where's Hazel?" Percy replied jovially, flashing his friend his lopsided smile.

Frank frowned at him, as if sensing he was putting up a façade, but let him go both figuratively and literally.

"Well, Hazel and I came to visit along with almost all of Camp Jupiter, except for Reyna and Nico who volunteered to guard the camp, and that pain in the butt Octavian. When we asked for you, they said you and Annabeth were at the climbing wall. We were heading here when we saw someone falling. I turned into an eagle and...here comes Hazel."

Sure enough, a flustered and panicked Hazel was racing towards them as fast as her legs would take her, her chocolatey curls flapping in the wind.

"Percy!" she cried, and enveloped him in a sisterly hug,

"I'm okay Hazel, thanks," he chuckled, patting her back reassuringly.

"What happened?" she gasped, still out of breath.

"The million-dollar question," Frank mumbled, sending Percy a look.

"Uh...you see...Annabeth and I were hanging out on top of the climbing wall. But then she had to go do Athena-y stuff, so she left. I was waving to her, but then I leaned too far and fell. Thanks for saving me, guys. Without you I would have been a goner!" Percy cried, sending them a sheepish grin.

The son of Poseidon didn't miss the 'he's-hiding-something' look the couple exchanged as they glanced nervously between him and each other.

_'Wow, am I so bad at covering up that even Frank can tell?'_ Percy wondered, wincing.

"Well, we're all ears if you ever need us, Perce," Frank reminded him.

"Sure, thanks guys," Percy replied, bobbing his head up and down.

* * *

During the two weeks that Frank and Hazel were staying at Camp Half-Blood, the campers became even more wary and cold towards the two-time Saviour of Olympus. It was starting to really bother Percy. He desperately wished to know who Nera was, now more than ever. Percy often thought over his only leads. The cryptic comments and the campers' odd behaviors were his only leads. Well that, and the conversation he had with his girlfriend just days before she tried to kill him.

* * *

_Annabeth had arrived at his doorstep just before dinner._

_"Annabeth!" Percy had cried "Come in!"_

_"No need. I just wanted to ask you something," Annabeth had replied coldly._

_"What is it?" Percy had whispered, knowing something bad was about to happen._

_"Why did you do it," came Annabeth's dismayed response._

_"Do what?"_

_"You know what!"_

_"No, I don't! Wise girl, what is it?"_

_"Don't act so innocent! You made an attempt on Nera's life! I didn't realize you could, get this low!" at this point, tears were trickling down pink cheeks._

_"What?!"_

_"I told you to stop pretending!"_

_"B-but Ana! I don't understand!"_

_"Don't call me that!" here Annabeth had drawn a long shaky breath._

_"You know what? I don't know why I came here. Obviously, you're too far gone to have the decency to own up to your actions. Actions spawned by jealousy!"_

_With that spitting retort, Annabeth had turned on her heels and dashed away, leaving a horrified Percy with his mouth hanging open._

* * *

When she had asked to meet him, he had been enthralled. Maybe Annabeth had made a mistake, and was going to apologize, or tell him that she loved him. Goodness, she hadn't said that since this whole Nera business started. Percy sighed and rolled off his bed, his sheets a tangled mess.

He needed to take a walk.

Percy inhaled the salty air, and drank in the sound of waves lapping against the sand. The beach was serene and abandoned, except for the lone figure of Percy Jackson, his arms spread out.

The stressed teen could almost feel the tension and worry in his body roll back into the sea with the loose grains of sand.

Of course, we all know Percy's luck never lasts.

An empousa burst on to the scene, hissing, and cursing enough to make a drunk dwarven sailor choke.

Percy sighed, and reluctantly drew Riptide. The monster charged forward. Percy took a swing at it, and it was able to move with surprising speed and dodge.

Frustrated, Percy swung and missed yet again.

Swing and miss, swing and miss, swing and miss. Percy only managed to place a few cuts on the empousa, only one being deep.

Finally, Percy became fed up. He raised his hands, and felt the familiar tug in the pit of his stomach. A wave crashed down upon the empousa, leaving it hacking and spitting in the sand.

"You're a swift little gal, aren't ya? Well sorry, but it ends here," Percy said, bring Riptide down on the wide-eyed empousa's stomach with no hesitation.

"PERCY, NO!" came shrilly from hundreds of voices.

Percy whipped his head up, his wet black locks stinging his face, to see the campers of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter staring at him with expressions of pure horror.

"What's wrong?" Percy inquired, frowning at all the gaping mouths and teary eyes.

Without warning, the majority of the camper rushed to the limp empousa, screaming "Are you alright?" "Wake up!" and "Nera!".

"Nera?" Percy repeated incredulously, turning his attention to the empousa, who had managed to lift its eyelids to gaze affectionately at the frantic demigods as if it were on its deathbed. Drama, much?

Annabeth was ululating loudly, as she hugged the empousa close, sobbing into its hair.

"How could you, Percy?" Piper wailed.

"I can't believe you've fallen low enough to kill an innocent demigod out of jealousy!" Jason shouted.

"Innocent demigod? Guys, that's a monster! An empousa!" Percy hollered, still flabbergasted by the whole situation.

Nobody said anything.

That is, until Hazel surprised everyone by walking up to Percy and slapping him across the face.

"It seems what they've been saying is true. Percy Jackson is a jealous murderer, who has attempted to kill his own half-sister, and more than once at that. I may not have approved of Annabeth trying to push you off the climbing wall, but now...now you have left me with no choice but to agree with her. You are not the same boy you were before, Perseus Jackson. You are not a hero. You are a monster. Not _Nera_, a victim of your childish actions. **_You_**. "

Percy was so startled at Hazel, her knowledge of what had happened on the climbing wall, her venomous tone, her hard slap, but most of all, her sparkling golden eyes, filled with fury...and disappointment.

"I..." Percy managed to choke out, but Annabeth cut him off.

"She's right. I don't know where the real Percy Jackson has gone, but until he's back, we are over," Annabeth seethed.

"Over?" Percy echoed, even more shocked than before.

"That's right. I'm breaking up with you, Percy Jackson."

"Guys? Can someone explain all this?" Percy pleaded, his face pathetic and raw with emotion.

"Frank?" Frank had taken a sudden dislike to the sand at his feet, scowling at the golden grains.

"Katie?" Katie Gardner ignored him, applying something to a scratch on the empousa - Nera was what they called it? - and avoided his troubled green eyes.

"Clarisse?" Clarisse La Rue actually met her former friend's eyes, but as soon as she did, he wished she hadn't. Her eyes gave a lucid message conveying her opinion of him. It was not friendly.

"Will?" the son of Apollo was busy examining a deep cut Percy had left on 'Nera's' arm.

"Rachel?" The Oracle of Delphi fiddled with a bracelet woven from rainbow strands of yarn, twisting it all about in her shaking hands.

"Nyssa?" The new counselor of Cabin 9 lifted her head defiantly and turned away from his distressed eyes.

"Dakota?" Dakota was drumming his hands against his thighs casually, completely contradicting his pale and sweaty demeanor.

"Gwen?" the Roma demigod appeared to be calm as she stared at the ground, but Percy caught the slight shaking movement of her hands.

And so it went, Percy calling out to every single person on the beach, begging for help.

He was met with silence.

In tears now, Percy turned and ran back to his cabin, hiding his face in his elbow in an effort to conceal the water leaking from his eyes.

"Yeah, go ahead and run! Run from your problems like you always do!" someone screamed at him.

It was too much.

Percy Jackson, once a revered hero, was sobbing as he slammed the door to his cabin. Almost without thinking, he dumped a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, a weeks' worth of clothes, food, a pack of cards or two, and lots of water bottles into a navy blue duffel bag. As he was slipping his jacket on, Percy's gaze fell upon the many photographs that were tacked to the walls. In a fit of rage, Percy tore them all down and stopped on each of them, sparing only the ones that contained his mom or Paul which he stuffed into his duffel bag. Then Percy stomped out of the Poseidon cabin, not bothering to look back.

* * *

And that was how Percy Jackson was abandoned. He fled Camp Half-Blood that very night. Not wanting to endanger Paul or his mom, he tried his luck in the wilderness. Using the survival skills he had built up over his years as a demigod, he had lasted until today, when he came to a realization.

There was no reason for him to live.

He had been kicked out of his home, and could not go back to his other home, for fear of putting his loved ones in danger. His best friends and girlfriend, who were practically family to him, had abandoned him, discarded him for some wretched monster who had them under it's spell. No one had tried to contact him, not even his godly family, meaning they did not care. So Percy concluded that it was useless. This whole trial called 'life' was not worth the pain anymore. In his mind, he would stop breathing someday, so why not bring that day closer and end the horrible monster writhing and clawing in his heart? Percy wrenched his eyes from the bewitching metal and shook the memories and thoughts away. If he was going to do this, he wanted to do it fast.

_'Good-bye, Blackjack. Thank you for being so faithful and loving all these years. I hope you can hear this.'_

Taking a deep breath, he drew his arm up.

With a mighty swing, Riptide dove towards Percy Jackson's wrist, intent on piercing a vital artery.

* * *

**Me: AAAAND CUT! That's a wrap!**

**Percy: I was about to %#*$)!*#&amp;$ kill myself, and you just cut it off like it's a % )&amp;$$*(&amp; fairytale?!**

**Me: Yes. -.-**

**Percy: Wh-!**

**Me: Sorry for his language, everyone. Okay, since Percy seems a little preoccupied with that, I'll do the disclaimer and announcements! ^.^**

**Me: Here we go. I do not own the Percy Jackson series of the Heroes of Olympus series. Furthermore, I just wanted to say thanks to Lmb11514 (again) and encourage you all to read Zayden Blaze, one of THE most amazing stories on . Lastly, I have decided most of the characters' names, appearance, and plot of the next chapter. That being said, I might be able to update once a week like I had hoped. Chaos makes his first appearance in the next chapter, as well as my OCs. That being said, I will be conducting a poll later, asking who Percy should end up with.  
**

**1\. Annabeth**

**2\. Fiorella**

**3\. Amilia (Amy)**

**I'm swaying between Fiorella and Annabeth, but I might have an idea to do both, in a sense. But my Beta Reader WeepingTARDIS1, also my best friend since we were 5, wants Percy with Amilia. BUT I'M THE WRITER AND I DISSAPROVE OF THIS SHIP. Who are Amilia and Fiorella? Well you'll just have to find out in upcoming chapters! Peace out!**

_**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, ISHA. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**_


	3. A New Person, A New Life, A New Start

The gleaming Celestial Bronze was shooting down towards Percy Jackson's arm, dead set on slashing his wrist.

Percy had indeed wondered what death would be like. He imagined himself laying on soft emerald blades, his lifeblood spilling out of him quickly and only slightly painfully. He imagined being conscious for the first few seconds, before inky dark spots were thrown across his vision, slowly and purposefully. His five senses would shut down, one by one. Then all would be black. And after that there was, of course, the Underworld. Percy even wondered nervously if Nico might drop by to say hi.

However, none of this happened. (A/N: Okay, maybe that wasn't relevant...)

Percy's arm was still forcing Riptide down at an alarming speed with the purpose of striking himself down, when a pale hand seized Percy's arm. Riptide hung, still suspended in the air, with Percy grasping it firmly.

"What are you doing? If you're a monster, go ahead and kill me. I want to end this as soon as possible," Percy spoke coldly, adressing his mysterious captor/rescuer without turning around to face him/her.

"Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, as Chaos, ruler of this universe, I command you to drop that sword and face me."

Percy whipped his head around, shocked and angered by what the mysterious person was claiming.

"How dare you pretend to be Ch-" Percy began, but stopped short when he saw the person.

His robes were the deepest, darkest black Percy had ever seen his life. Not threatening and dangerous like the black of Tartarus, but a comforting darkness like a clear sky on a warm night. His skin was pale, but not like Nico's. It was more of a milky white and unblemished, smooth and creamy.

But the most extraordinary of all were his eyes. They were roiling black pits, an even more heartwarming black than his robes, they were filled with wisdom beyond the beginning of time, and a compassion surpassing anything Percy had ever seen or felt. But unlike human eyes, they had stars, moons, even galaxies swirling and churning in them, sparkling and floating within its very depths.

"Master Chaos. I am sorry, so sorry. Please accept my apology," Percy begged, dropping to his knees.

"Rise, Perseus. I am not angry, for you have gone through much. In fact, I wish to speak to you," Chaos said, his voice soft yet commanding.

"Yes?" Percy replied, getting to his feet and deciding not to correct him with his nickname.

"I want you to join me and my army."

At first, Percy couldn't process what he was saying. Chaos was talking to him? And he wanted him - _Percy_ _Jackson_ \- to be a part of his army? Chaos had an army?

"I can see this is hard for you. If you would like, please follow me, and I will bring you to my base."

As confused as he was, Percy could not and would not pass up the chance to see Master Chaos' home. And if it would take him away from this world, maybe give him a new start, then he would more then willingly follow.

As Chaos stepped into a blinding late, Percy timidly walked over. One hand went through first. Once that had emerged unscathed and intact, he took a deep breath, and plunged into the searing whiteness.

* * *

To say it tingled was an understatement. His whole body was alive with shivers and buzzes, as he vaguely felt himself moving. In seconds (which Percy thought was much too short) it was gone, and he was standing on cold flooring. One at a time, he cracked open his eyes, and beheld the otherworldly sight before him. He stood on marble tiles, a gleaming milky white with soft brown accents polished to perfection. White columns made of glass and bordered in pearls lined the walls on either side of the spacious room, reflecting shining light from the chandelier. The chandelier, which hung from the glass-domed ceiling, was made of golden arcs curling upward with candles perched upon small silver platforms. Ending at the door was a narrow deep purple velvet carpet fringed with golden tassels. The carpet swept in a straight line down the center of the room, like a flowing royal purple river. Percy's eyes followed the rich purple material to the wall directly across from the waxed and gleaming double doors. There, a set of four stairs led up to a raised platform of marble. Atop the platform was the most majestic throne Percy had ever seen. Gleaming silver swirled, dipped, and flowed to make intricate and gorgeous feet and armrests. The silver slowly melted into breath-taking obsidian which arched and curved to make a headrest worthy of only the finest being. The whole room took Percy's breath away.

Chaos smiled knowingly at the slack-jawed teenager.

"Do you like my throne room?"

Percy snapped to attention, shaking his head to clear the stupor from his brain.

"Y-yes, sir! I t-think it's lovely!" Percy stuttered.

"Come, then" Chaos began to glide across the room in smooth strides, and beckoned for the son of Poseidon to follow.

Percy scampered after the towering figure of Chaos, stumbling occasionally like the Seaweed Brain he is.

Once Chaos was situated upon his majestic (understatement!) throne, he gave Percy the once-over before beginning a small speech.

"Mr. Jackson, as I was saying, how would you like to become a member of my army?"

"It's just Percy, sir. And what do you mean?"

Chaos smiled warmly "Well, _just Percy _I mean that I would like you to join me here, on my planet. You could become my general, and stay here. You would not have to confront your past again lest you choose to."

Percy was having a hard time wrapping his head around this new development. Chaos was in front of him, offering him a chance for a new start, in a new place, with new people, and all he had to do in exchange was pledge his service to Chaos, and fight for good. In Percy's mind, it was too good to be true, and things like this don't last with his rotten luck.

"Is there any...catch? Any downsides?" Percy inquired carefully, not wanting to upset the ruler of the universe.

Chaos seemed to think it over before replying "Unless you have taken a sudden dislike in battles or being a leader, I cannot think of any negativity."

Percy was sure this was a dream. This couldn't possibly be happening to someone like him. In Percy's eyes, he was still worthless and inept, and his life should be ended.

"I...but...Master Chaos...why me?" Percy croaked.

"Why not, Perseus? You are a good man who has suffered excessively, brave and kind, loyal to a fault. I would be honored to have you with me," Chaos replied, and although his voice was but a whisper, it filled the massive room.

"Then I would be honored to humbly join your grand army," Percy vowed, lifting his head to stare the ruler in his unique eyes.

"Percy, you may stay in a guest room until I tie up some loose ends on my...project. I hope you find your stay comfortable," Chaos said.

And with that, Chaos led Percy out of the grand double-doors, down a hallway that seemed to stretch to the ends of the Earth, and into a cozy little room. Its walls were painted a calming grey, the bunk-beds covered in navy blue sheets, and black pillows propped against the tiny headboards with intricate roses carved into them.

Chaos informed Percy he would not need to share a room with anyone, that there were clothes in the closet, and that he hoped he enjoyed his stay. Then Chaos left an overwhelmed Percy sitting on the lower bunk, processing all he had just experienced.

* * *

Percy had no clue how long he had been in his room doing nothing but thinking and drinking from the glass of water that magically refilled on his nightstand. His stay in the room felt timeless and strange, like the Lotus Casino, which worried Percy. What if this was a trap? What if Chaos was mad at him? What if this wasn't Chaos? Doubts swirled like fog in the mountains in Percy's mind, but they were mostly pushed aside by Percy's meditations on his past betrayal. He still could not quite decipher what had taken place, but he was able to piece together that it had something to do with an empousa and some evil chick named Nera, who had poisoned the minds of his friends, his _adopted __family_. Just thinking about their betrayal brought tears to his mournful sea-green eyes.

At long last, exactly four knocks interrupted the son Poseidon from his bittersweet reverie.

Percy lifted his weary head just in time to see Chaos poke his head through the doorway.

"Percy," Chaos called softly. "It's time to go."

The raven-haired boy swung himself off the top bunk and landed next to the powerful being. Wordlessly, they began to trod down the hallway.

* * *

The Savior Of Olympus plodded behind Chaos as they turned polish hallway after polished hallway. Before long, Percy became hopelessly lost and knew that he could never get back to his room even if he wanted to. Their footsteps echoed along the empty corridors, the sound magnifying in the deafening silence.

Suddenly, the duo turned a corner and Percy caught his first glimpse of human life in a long time. Five narrow hallways (one of which Percy was traveling down) met at a domed intersection. From three other hallways came three other teens, all of around Percy's age. Leading them were...three Chaos?!

The girl with the brown bob cut and tan skin noticed Percy and the others first. Her misty hazel green hardened into a glare and she immediately went into a defensive stance. Percy followed her example, and set his feet firmly. His hand subtly inched towards Riptide in his pocket.

Before long the blonde with matted hair that reached her mid-back and the large boy with strawberry-blond buzzcut had noticed the three other teens and their three other Chaos(es?) and had followed suit.

It didn't take long for the Chaoses (A/N This is so confusing. What's the plural for Chaos?!) to discover that their charges had stopped. They halted in their tracks, and simultaneously let out a low chuckle, an unsettling sound that echoed through the passageways. The Chaoses forms began to tremble, subtly at first, then escalating to all the Chaoses looking like they were characters in an old TV with VERY VERY bad reception. (A/N I'm pretty sure that's the plural for Chaos)

And then they merged.

All four Chaos guides flashed from their respective spots to the center of the hallway intersection, where they converged into one smirking Chaos.

"...care to explain that?" the brunette asked, lowering her raised fists ever so slightly.

"I merely split myself into four parts to lead each of you here. Now, we must be going. We have important business to attend to," Chaos replied evenly, a twinkle in his ancient eyes.

The four teenagers glanced at one another before scurrying down the fifth hallway after the retreating black robes.

* * *

Chaos shifted in his throne, appearing as if he were trying to get comfortable, as the four teens shuffled nervously in a horizontal line in front of him. Percy felt his ADHD acting up, and wondered if the rest of the kids were demigods as well, thus rendering them capable of the same hyperactiveness that plagued him.

"Now then," Chaos began. "I suppose it would be best if I explained why I have brought you out of your comfortable rooms, and into the company of other strange adolescents." (A/N Hahaha, good one Chaos)

"I have selected you from the farthest corners of the Earth, seeking only the best," here the teens had the grace to blush "for my team. Should you choose to accept, you will be known as the Elementals, the four most powerful teenagers in the solar system. You will be my generals, and you will aid the people of different worlds and lead different armies into battles for justice. I know you are kind individuals who have had more than your fair share of pain. You are clever, compassionate, and brave. Would you do me the honor of being my Elementals?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Chaos, sir? Would we have to...contact people from our past?" Percy inquired timidly.

Chaos shook his head. "Not unless you wished to do so,"

The blonde was the first to step forward and kneel.

"I would love to take you up on your offer. I pledge my life to you, and helping those in need."

Percy was quick to follow, and smiled at the man on the throne as he proclaimed "It would make me happy to assist those who need it under your rule,".

The other girl knelt next, saying "The honor is mine, Master Chaos. I will do what I need to serve you and those who require assistance."

Of course, the redhead decided that he would rather spend his life in the palace with Chaos and these three new people than whatever he had experienced in his past. He simply knelt and simply said "It would bring me great pleasure to join you.".

Percy had to wonder what normally came next in this sort of initiation. A diploma? A ritual? A party? A clap on the back? (A/N That is the INCORRECT answer, Percy! *presses buzzer, and Percy falls to China*)

What came next was none of those. Chaos clapped his pale hands together like an elated toddler and squealed "Yay!".

The new Elementals could only stare as Chaos ranted "I hate having to be so formal, but now that you guys are immortal, we'll have to deal with each other for eternity, so we should just break loose. Did I mention the immortality? No? Oh, sorry. You'll be immortal, forever this age. Not like the Hunters of Artemis, though, I mean you're _immortal _immortal One time I was scouting their camp for potential Elementals, and I came as a beaten and hungry man. Lots of them turned me away, except for some kind hunters. I think Artemis was away or something. I mean, I can understand their point of view, but it makes them biased. Wait, what was I going to say? Oh, yes! So we should probably do introductions now."

The jovial look didn't leave Chaos' face, but he seemed to adapt a serious undertone. "I understand that you all have painful pasts. You may change your name if you wish, and you are not pressured to reveal anything about your past that makes you uncomfortable."

Percy had a fleeting thought about Chaos being bipolar, but he quickly dismissed it and returned to the matter at hand - his introduction. Percy felt it would be good to take a new name, to finally be able to start anew. But how much of his past should he reveal?

_'This is my new family.' _Percy reminded himself. _'If I can't trust them, who can I trust?'_

In all honesty, Percy was petrified. The idea of giving his whole heart to an adopted family all over again scared him. For all he knew, maybe **they** would (willingly?) succumb to whispers that urged them to betray him. He was baring his heart to them, giving them a chance, but he knew he was forever scarred. If he were to be kicked out again...he might not ever be able to trust again.

Percy took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Hey guys, I'm...Pierce. Pierce Jackson. (A/N pronounced like "I pierce my butter with a butter knife". Wow that was a terrible sentence!) I...I used to live in a...camp, for people like me. Children of gods or goddesses and mortals. I was a child of Poseidon. But...all of a sudden, campers started to avoid me. They often talked spitefully to me, admonishing me about my behavior so some girl named Nera. My-my own girlfriend, my best friend since we were 12, she even tried to kill me! The final straw was when I almost killed an empousa on the beach. Everyone started screaming at me, my best friends, practically my _family_, kicked me out, my girlfriend broke up with me, everyone _hated_ me. I was forced to run away from the camp, my second _home_. I couldn't even go to my mother's home for fear they would hurt my mom or step-dad..." Percy announced, his voice quivering as he told his story.

The tan girl gasped, her hand flying to her open mouth.

"I've heard of you! The only son of Poseidon!" she gasped.

Percy suddenly turned cold and clammy, and his hands took to shaking. Why? He thought he could leave his past behind him. But of course, he just **had **to be famous. And now she would probably tell everyone everything, and...

"But...I can't seem to recall what your name is," she frowned. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Percy replied, calming immediately. "I'm...trying to leave my old life behind."

She looked at him guiltily, as if suddenly realizing what she had blurted. "I'm sorry about that..."

She cleared her throat before starting her introduction. "I'm...Fiorella. Daughter of a dryad and a mortal. Very unheard of, but it happened, and here I am. Because of the unlikely pairing, I was born a human with a..._magical_ connection to nature, and a life source, like my mother. If my flower was destroyed, I was destroyed along with it. My father was always very protective of me, especially after...well, especially after my mother died when someone cut down her bush two years after I was born. We moved far out to the country, where we were supposed to be safe. But Gaea tried to recruit me during the recent war...said something about amazing power and avenging my mother. When I refused, she...she...she killed my father right before my very eyes." Fiorella had to take shaky breaths during her introduction, but when she reached the end, she started to sob quietly.

The other girl patted her back awkwardly, understanding painted on her face. She whispered something in Fiorella's ear, and they hugged.

"I...have a question," the other boy said. "What's this about dryads and demigods?"

**INSERT YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPLANATION OF MYTHOLOGY HERE, AND PRETEND YOU ARE CHAOS. BLACK BEDSHEETS/CURTAINS MAKE SUFFICIENT ROBES.**

"Well that's...a big bomb to drop. But I guess it makes sense..." the boy muttered. "Well, since I've already attracted enough attention to myself, I might as well go. I'm...Axel," he stated, but it came out as a bit more of a question.

"When I was young, I was playing in a junkyard by my house. I wasn't looking where I was going, though, and I...fell into a hole of nuclear toxic waste." Axel covered his eyes with his hands. "I survived, fortunately. But I was left with scars and powers, powers over fire. No one but my family knew, and we tried to hide it the best we could. But one day, I came home and there were at least 20 people gathered in my living room, some holding my parents roughly. I shouted at them to let my parents go, that they probably had the wrong people. The lead man looked me in the eye...and I can still remember what he said next, I remember it _so_ clearly. He said the government had found out about me, I was to be experimented on. He told me I was a freak of nature, and he wouldn't even acknowledge me as a human. When I vehemently protested to go anywhere, he pulled out two guns and held them to my parents' heads. That stupid butt, he **threatened** me, saying if I didn't come peacefully, he would pull the trigger. I was frozen, I couldn't say anything. My parents struggled, and insisted that I not take the deal. The man got so fed up with them, he barked at them to shut up. I lost control of my temper. I set my hands ablaze, and told him to leave and never return. Nobody hurts my family. I'm not quite sure what happened next - maybe he panicked, or got angry with me. Either way, he pulled both of the triggers. I couldn't do anything to stop him. And me, being the pathetic kid I am, just screamed hysterically as their bodies fell to the floor. And those horrible people just laughed, that murderer laughing the loudest. I don't really remember exactly what happened next. But after the red faded from my vision, the house was gone, just charred remains, and bodies littered the ground. I...I killed them, I even killed my own parents! I was horrified. I wasn't even thinking when I ran, ran away, like the coward I am. I didn't even care when I collapsed in some unknown area, and waited for death to claim me."

There was brief bout of silence. Words such as "It wasn't your fault", "Don't feel bad" and especially "It's okay" would not have any effect whatsoever. In fact, they would only make it worse. Everyone in the room had learned this the hard way. Eventually, the last person spoke up.

"Hi, I'm Amilia, but please just call me Amy. I...I had a mom, a dad, and a little sister. When my sister was four, and I was seven, we were attacked in the middle of the night. These people, these** horrible **men in black, they came, and they set our house on fire. The smoke, the heat, the ashes, and all the collapsing furniture and structure... I was able to get my sister out, but...I never saw my parents again." A single tear trickled down her cheek, an impressive attempt at hiding the emotional pain. "I tried to get away from the smothering smoke and flames with my sister, but they caught us. They kidnapped us and brought us to a dark building. It was there I discovered my powers, however weak they were, over winds. I was forced to work as a spy for them on many occasions, and it was terrible living with the knowledge that I was helping them hurt innocents. The only reason I did what they asked is they threatened my sister with fire. She had arsonphobia, and they would wave torches or large lighters in her face and dump oil on her. The haunted look in her eyes always broke my heart into billions of pieces. But one day, some fool dropped the torch he was waving in her petrified face. It fell in the ring of oil they poured around her. I was away on a mission, and by the time I got back, the whole hideout was ablaze. I tried so hard to save her...but all I managed to find was her burnt hair piece. It was always her favorite, the one mom and dad got her on her last birthday..." That was all Amy could take. She slumped to her knees and held her head in her shaking hands.

Chaos gazed empathetically down at the four huddled figures, who were so young, and yet had been through so much. He could already feel a connection being made among the broken teens.

"If you are ready, it is time for you to receive your powers and immortality," Chaos whispered after several minutes of dismal silence. "Please step forward."

Amy, Fiorella, Percy, and Axel (in that order) took two steps towards the throne. Chaos lifted his hand over their heads, and began to speak in a loud voice.

"By the power within me, I give you each the power of the elements! Air! Earth! Water! Fire!"

There was a blinding flash of searing light. Percy heard someone cry out in a voice that sounded suspiciously similar to his. A fierce and savage pain slammed into his chest, quickly filling the rest of his body. He struggled to fight the paralyzing pain, but his efforts were futile. The new Elemental's mind slipped into darkness.

* * *

The first thing Percy noticed was that the horrible pain was gone. Before he even opened his eyes, he realized that not only was he feeling better, he felt more powerful than he ever had in his whole demigod life.

He sat up groggily and shook his head before opening his eyes. Picking themselves off the floor were Amy, Fiorella, and Axel. But they looked different...very different. Fiorella's brown bob had transformed into ramrod-straight bangs and a long French side braid the color of rich soil. Her skin was a healthier, more toned, shade of brown, and when she opened her eyes Percy caught a glimpse of emerald orbs that sparkled with facets and knowledge. Her torn black t-shirt and jeans had been replaced with a knit layered jade shirt, and dusty brown leggings complete with mud-colored combat boots. Amy's blond hair had morphed into long locks that fell to her knees. Its color reminded Percy of a pale ice-cream flavor called 'lucuma' he had sampled at a Peruvian restaurant with his mom and Paul. Small breezes flitted around her, tossing around strands of her hair, an aspect which should have made her look disheveled but instead added to her beauty. She wore a tank top covered in scalloped baby-blue layers, starting under a baby-pink ribbon stretched across the tank just under the chest, to form a ribbon on the left side. Rolled up pure white denim shorts ended at her knees, and her new sky blue eyes opened and closed blearily, her pale eyelids fluttering like butterflies. And gone, gone away were Axel's strawberry-blond strands. In their place were fiery red locks, which curled upward like licks of fire frozen in time. His chest was covered by a black muscle shirt, and he sported new beige cargo pants speckled with pockets. He was staring at his fellow Elementals with golden eyes filled with confusion.

It was all Percy could do not to have a heart attack at all the sudden changes.

"What happened?" Percy demanded, trying to keep his voice even.

"You simply merged with your element. It changed your physical appearance, and may have altered your personality just a bit," Chaos explained, gazing at them apologetically.

"Wh-" Fiorella began to say, but Chaos cut her off with a clap.

"Now then! I will explain some concepts, then we will show you to your rooms, yes?"

Chaos bore a smile on his lips, but his eyes let them know there was no room for argument. Once he was sure the teens would remain silent, he continued.

"Your clothes will change according to your comfort. For example, if Axel was to become cold, his shorts would change into a pair of jeans. Is that understandable? Good! Follow me, please."

Chaos led the dazed Elementals to his throne, he pushed it back to reveal a narrow wooden door with a circular bronze handle. With a hard shove, the door swung open soundlessly. A hallway lit by suspended flames lining the walls opened up before their startled eyes. As it turned out, this hallway was purely a secret. It led from the throne room to the wing where the Elementals would stay. There was another hallway that branched off of this one that led to a spot behind a false potted plant in the grand hallway. The planet they were on, as it turned out, was the Earth's moon. Chaos chose the Earth's moon, he explained, because the people of Earth often got into danger, and had no magic to defend themselves. Their base was open to all other planets, and there were some inns, but only Chaos and now his Elementals lived here.

"...and the there are two rooms across from each other on each end of the hallway. The two closest to the door are the boys', and the two on the other end of the hallway are the girls'. Ah, yes! Here we are at last!" Chaos swung open a door identical to the one behind the throne. A long hallway made of shining pearl stretched out for at least 50 ft. Two doors across from each other, one red and one blue/green, were but a few fit away, while a deep green one and a white one could just barely be made out at the other end of the hallway.

"You have the until tomorrow morning to get settled. Again, I hope that you find your new life here comfortable and pleasing. Oh! And any gender mix in a bedroom must be approved by **me** first," Chaos smirked, that playful gleam back in his age-old eyes. With a simple wave, he closed the door behind him and departed, leaving Percy, Axel, Amy, and Fiorella standing in their new home, trying to soak in all these new events.

In silent solemnity, the four new Elementals retreated to their respective rooms. A few half-hearted waves later, Percy stood alone in the glittering hallways. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the sea-green door on his right.

Soft sandy-colored carpet sank beneath his feet the instant the placed his socks down on it, torn sneakers in hand. But that was the least of his pleasures. The room looked virtually _underwater._ The walls reminded the son of Poseidon of that time he had gone to an aquarium, and went through a tunnel with water surrounding him on all sides through the glass (of course, a monster had shown up and almost broke the glass, but it had turned out to be an overall fun day with the seven, Nico, Reyna, and Thalia). Incredibly realistic looking seaweed and shells were painted where the walls met the floor.

Pushed against the right wall was a bed covered in sea-mist colored bedsheets and a royal blue comforter. The pillows were fluffy clouds of sea-green propped against the sandy-yellow bed frame, which was complete with a headrest and footrest that looked like they had waves carved into them and a canopy with curtains that Percy was 99% sure was made of sea spray.

Against the wall across from him was a white desk, with a simple navy-blue lamp and a black laptop. Just a couple of feet to the right was a dresser painted such a dark blue it looked close to_** black**_, which only made the seashells scattered across the wood pop out more. Across from it was a petite loft bed, with a bed covered in green sheets on the top, and a hangout with beanbags and rugs on the bottom.

It was a rather small room for such a grand palace-of-sorts, but Percy wouldn't have his new homey bedroom any other way.

Percy stepped in front of the mirror beside his dresser to examine it. A boy with vibrant yet comforting sea-green eyes and wavy black hair that rose and feel like waves in the ocean stared back. He was wearing navy skinny jeans and a hoodie that at first glance appeared to be tie-dyed, but upon closer inspection, turned out to a be a vibrant and ingenious blend of greens and blues. His new appearance caught Percy's rapt attention until he spotted an open door on the right wall.

_'Well of course,'_ Percy realized _'I need a bathroom, don't I?'_

Percy wandered over to the sandy wooden door and pushed it open. Inside lay a bathroom almost as large as the bedroom. A hot tub half-covered by a bath curtain decorated in cartoon fishies tucked away on his left. Across from him was a marble sink, with a faucet made of obsidian and three drawers underneath. On the left was numerous white racks in an open closet next to a white porcelain commode.

Percy could barely bite back his grin as he stared at the hot tub.

_'I think a bath is quite overdue...'_

* * *

**Me: First of all, I want to address some...issues that I noticed after I finished writing this, and developing the characters' personalities. I found WAY too many similarities between Fiorella, Axel, and Amy and the PJO/HoO characters.**

**1\. Axel is a big softy like Frank. They're both just really big, strong teddy bears.**

**2\. Fiorella's smart/calculating leader personality is like Annabeth's.**

**3\. Fiorella's life used to depend on a flower. I honestly just wanted to make a demi-dryad, i didn't intend for her to be like Frank.**

**4\. Amy hides emotional pain behind a cheerful facade of jokes and smiles, like Leo.**

**5\. Axel's story of burning down his house is just like Leo's.**

**6\. Amy's whole 'natural-beauty' thing with her hair is like Piper's.**

**I bet I could find more, these just popped out the most. I swear these were all an accident. I'm so sorry. :(**

**Please don't forget to cast in your votes! Who should Percy end up with? I'm leaning towards Fiorella right now, but I'd love to hear your opinions!**

**Here's the current scoreboard...**

**Annabeth - 1**

**Amy - 1 (my beta reader *grumbles about rebellious betas*)**

**Fiorella - 2 (me!)**

**Zoe Nightshade - 1**

**Other - 0**


	4. A Chaos Christmas!

**FRIENDLY REMINDER - Percy Jackson changed his name to Pierce (pronounced like the verb pierce EX. the fork pierced the piece of cheese), but he couldn't bare to change his last name, so he kept it. But no one but Chaos even remembers it...**

* * *

Pierce stared out at the snowflakes that danced past his glass window panes. They floated with joyous abandon, as happy as innocent children.

But the only thing on Percy's mind was his past.

_'It's going to be our one-year anniversary as Element__als of Chaos soon...January fourth, I think Chaos said. I wonder how my family is doing...'_

His thoughts eventually drifted from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, Paul, Sally, and Poseidon to his fellow Elementals. He had spent almost a complete year with them now, and they were starting to bond. He knew for a fact that Fiorella and Amy had gotten very close during their short year together - it sometimes seemed to Pierce that girls have a special talent of getting comfortable with other girls quickly. He was having a hard time letting Axel in, after the betrayal of Camp Half-Blood. Axel told Pierce that it was okay, and he understood the reasons behind his trust issues, but Pierce felt guilt stab him every time he turned down another one of Axel's invitations to hang out. Overall, they were becoming a close and hardworking group, though. Chaos had explained that their workload this year was being kept to a minimum, and now that they were settled in, their real challenge would start. Yaaaay. But Pierce couldn't really complain. He did enjoy working with his fellow generals. Even if Pierce and Fiorella's leader-like personalities would sometimes clash, the arguments would always end in laughter.

Pierce's head gradually began to sink, as if his deep thoughts were weighing him down. He slid lower and lower until he was fast asleep on his desktop. (A/N Wow...typical Percy)

* * *

The first thing Pierce registered was the alarm.

The alarm which hung just above his bedpost, was one of many in the building. There was one in each of the four Elementals' bedrooms, just above their headrests. Chaos had informed them that only he could sound this alarm, and if he did, it meant that dire events had taken place, and they were to report to the throne room ASAP.

So, of course, Pierce's first instinct was to leap up sharply.

Which, also of course, caused him to fall over.

Percy peeled himself off his sandy-yellow carpet, slammed his door open, and rushed out as fast as his legs would take him.

He met Axel, as he dashed down the hallway and nearly collided with him.

"What's happening?" Pierce panted.

"I dunno. It must be urgent - Chaos has never raised this alarm before!" Axel gasped in reply.

The two boys met up with Fiorella, then Amy, exchanging grim looks with each other as they ran. Together they virtually flew down the secret hallway and threw open the hidden throne room door.

"Chaos! What's hap..." Pierce started to shout, but his words sputtered and died when he drank in the sight before him.

And what a sight it would have been, if you walked in on them at that very moment! Four teens with power rolling off them in waves, all with their weapons drawn or their hands ablaze with their element, looking as if they were expecting the worst. (A/N Which they were!) Their expressions slowly morphed into ones of complete and utter shock that were absolutely hilarious to look at. For what they saw was no battle, no horrid monster, no captive Chaos. Sprigs of holly were scattered across the shining marble, and the throne had a large wreath dropped upon the top, like a lopsided crown. Oversized ribbons made of velvet hung from the handles on the inside of the door hey had just barged in through, and at haphazard angles on the walls. And on the right of the throne was none other than Chaos, decorating a pine tree with tinkling bells and gleaming balls of every color imaginable.

"Ah! Why hello, my dear Elementals! My my, so quick! And your faces, children! So amusing! What has brought this about?" Chaos cried, with a twinkle in his eyes that hinted he knew _exactly_ what was happening.

"Wha...but...where's the emergency?" Fiorella sputtered, crushing the spike made of hard earth in her hand.

"Where did you find bows that _big_!?" Amy gasped, her mouth hanging open.

"Why, Christmas, my dear! It's _extremely_ urgent that we begin the festivities right away!" Chaos chuckled.

"You woke me up to sing carols and dance around a Christmas tree?" Pierce said disdainfully.

"Wait. I thought God doesn't exist. Y'know, because of the gods and stuff?" Axel asked, scratching his head and accidentally lighting his hair on fire.

"Well, Axel, he does exist! Have I never told you this? God created the universe, the people, the gods, etc. Then he left me in charge of this solar system as its co-leader, while he helped out with the other galaxies. He does drop in to visit often, though!" Chaos chirruped, as if he were discussing the weather and not the workings of the universe.

"I...see..." Fiorella mumbled. "But Chaos, sir, like I asked you - what about the alarm? Is there really no emergency?"

"And like I told you, my dear, there is a true emergency," Chaos replied evenly, his dark eyes going serious.

All four Elementals leaned forward in grim anticipation.

"Yes?"

"I want you to run upstairs...and put on your best Christmas clothes!" Chaos exclaimed, breaking into a cheeky grin.

Axel stumbled and fell.

Fiorella smacked her forehead. (A/N FACEPALM FRIDAY!)

Amy broke out into a fit of giggles.

Pierce cracked a small smile. For caretaker of the planet, he could be a pretty happy-go-lucky guy.

"Go, now! All of you!" Chaos cried, shooing them away.

The four Elementals trudged out of the room, confused and a little angry.

"So?" Amy asked, breaking the tense silence.

"So what?" Pierce echoed, frowning.

"So should we do what he says?"

"I'm not sure..." Fiorella trailed off, muttering about duty.

"Come _on_, you guys! Christmas doesn't come every day! Chaos is right - we need to loosen up and have some fun!" Amy enthused, spinning around to look all of them in the eye.

"I can't believe I forgot it was Christmas," Pierce muttered.

"Well..." Fiorella stammered, and it was obvious she had a weak spot for the girl.

"S-sure. Why not?" Axel whispered shyly, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

He was rewarded with a blazing smile from Amy, turning his cheeks red.

"It's settled, then! See you guys later!" Amy cried, taking Fiorella by the hand and dragging her down the girls' hallway.

Pierce caught Fiorella's desperate '_Save me, I beg you'_ look before she was just a smudge that hung limply next to the racing Amy.

Pierce turned to Axel and caught his eye.

"Bet I can beat you to my room," Pierce jeered playfully.

"You're on!" Axel exclaimed, and off they went, tearing down the hall like madmen with wild smirks on their faces.

* * *

Pierce couldn't figure out for the life of him why girls liked to get dressed up. In his opinion, sweaters and jeans worked for any occasion.

As Pierce pulled his blue sweater with white snowflakes raining down all over the cerulean cotton over his green t-shirt, he glanced at Axel, who sat beside him. He was shrugging into a red santa coat lined with white fur over his black muscle shirt. (Their closests were enchanted to produce any article of clothing they want.)

Since Pierce and Axel had decided that Pierce's navy skinny jeans (the men's skinny jeans are different from the woman's) and Axel's black jeans were perfectly fine for the party, they were simply changing their shirts in the same room, no big deal.

Another thing Pierce couldn't understand was why girls shared rooms and had sleepovers and stuff. Don't they want _privacy_?

"Ready to go?" Axel inquired, as he finished lacing up his tan waterproof boots.

"Yup," Pierce replied, slipping on his black sneakers.

"Then let's go."

* * *

Pierce and Axel walked down the hallway, down the hallway and through the door, following the same path they had taken that morning. Chaos was still at work decorating the healthy green pine tree on the right of the throne.

"Good, good! Very nice!" Chaos praised after giving the two boys a once-over. "Now we just need to wait for Fiorella and Amy."

After but a few minutes, the door blew open with a gust of wind ('_Most likely Amy's doing'_ Percy thought) and the two female Elementals walked in, and suddenly Pierce understood why they had taken so much longer than the boys.

Both girls sported matching velvety Santa dresses, with white faux fur lining the wrists and hem of the skirt. A leather belt wrapped around the midsection, with a shiny buckle in the middle. A hole in the shape of a snowflake was cut at the bottom of the scooped neckline. The only difference was the colors. Fiorella's velvet was green, while the belt was an earthy brown, with a gold buckle. Amy's velvet was white, while the belt was blue with a pink buckle. No surprise there, every Elemental's favorite color had converted to the color of their element when they were granted their powers, except for Amy. She had clung to her love of pink like a leech. Their legs were bare, down to their shoes (Amy's pink flats and Fiorella's usual combat boots).

The good news? They looked seriously cute, making both boys suddenly self-conscious. The bad news? The gusts of air that always surrounded Amy reflected her emotions. Ergo, because she was excited, the breezes were zipping winds, which lifted the girls' knee-length skirt about an inch up. It made Pierce go red as ketchup to the tips of his ears, and Axel's cheeks were on fire.

Literally.

The way Fiorella hid her face behind her side French-braid suggested she knew exactly what was happening, but if Amy realized, she gave no indication. Maybe she was just used to being followed by breezes wherever she went.

"Let's get this party started!" she shrieked, throwing her fists into the air.

* * *

It wasn't until Pierce was stuck with a loooong roll of ribbon in his hands that he thought, '_What did I get myself into?'_

The ribbon had been made by him (courtesy of his powers), and were cerulean with emerald green waves swirling and dipping across the soft fabric. Navy blue glitter lined the edges.

"Um...what are we supposed to be doing again?" Pierce asked nervously.

Axel and Amy looked up from where they were crouched on the floor, making their own glass ornaments (Amy cooled a round ball of fire made by Axel) and Fiorella turned away from her pine tree with the deepest, healthiest green needles Pierce had ever seen.

"Did you space out?" Amy asked sympathetically.

"We're supposed to be competing against Master Chaos in a tree decorating contest. We have to make all our decorations from scratch, though. Even the tree," Fiorella explained.

"That's a nice ribbon you made there," Axel put in helpfully.

"Thanks...?"

And soon Percy was attacking the tree with his ribbon and a devilish grin, with Amy and Axel soon following suit. Cheerful laughter echoed across the room as four teens who had been through too much for their lifetime finally let themselves be just that - teenagers.

* * *

"It's not fair," Chaos pouted and sulked.

"Life's not fair," Pierce teased

"Your tree doesn't have enough color variation," Fiorella pointed out, failing to hide a smirk.

It was true. While Chaos' tree was indeed beautiful, the only color the decorations seemed to come in was black black black and black, with silver crystals here and there. The Elementals' tree, on the other hand, showcased Pierce's majestic ribbons, and twinkling glass ornaments of every color of the rainbow, with cute designs such as smiling faces, snowflakes, elves, and gingerbread men.

"Fine, you won," Chaos grumped, crossing his large arms.

"Was there any doubt?" Fiorella quipped. Pierce and Axel laughed, as Amy jumped into the air and cheered.

"I declare a rematch!" Chaos roared. He pulled out a sword and pointed to the grand front doors.

"To the kitchen!"

The Elementals, of course, had no clue what was happening. But being so caught up in the spirit of the moment, they whooped and charged after their commander, the five of them spilling out of the room and down the hallway.

* * *

The scoreboard went something like this:

**Battles Won By Chaos:**

-Sword fighting contest

-Gingerbread house making contest

**Battles Won By Elementals:**

-Christmas tree decorating contest

-Snowman making contest

-Ice-cream eating contest (Pierce won)

-Ice-skating contest (Amy stunned everyone)

-Survive the candy cane maze (Fiorella's logic earned them the victory)

-Make the coziest fireplace contest (Axel's was an instant smile-inducer)

"We win!" Amy exclaimed joyously.

"By a landslide, might I add," Fiorella put in.

"She means we creamed you!" Pierce cackled.

"Without a doubt," Axel agreed.

"You kids are supposed to respect your elders," Chaos complained.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the roaring sound of **our victory**!" Pierce teased. He promptly went broke into peals of laughter, and ended up on the floor holding his stomach.

_**Thwshap!**_

He was quickly silenced by a ball of cold watery sludge to the face.

Now the other three Elementals laughed at their comrade's stunned face, covered in icy snow.

_**Thwshap!**_

_**Thwshap!**_

_**Thwshap!**_

A roar of laughter erupted out of Chaos' mouth as the angry Elementals wiped the frigid material off of their faces.

"You wanna play, Chaos?" Pierce challenged, scooping up his own snowball from the snow on the ground (which had miraculously appeared). "Then let's play!"

Chaos took one look at the mischievous expressions the four youngsters' wore and swallowed hard.

A barrage of snowballs rained down like a sheer wall of ice, effectively burying Chaos in the pile. Fiorella and Pierce high-fived, and Amy stuck her tongue out at the pile. But their victory was short-lived, because the mound immediately erupted, with an armed Chaos rising from the ashes - er, snow.

Small balls of icy pain flew fast and furious across the room like rapidfire, teasing threats and taunts flying as fast as the projectiles. Axel lit his hands on fire, and melted any snowball that dared approach him. Pierce concentrated on the liquid in the snow and crashed a mammoth wave of snow and ice down on Chaos' head. Amy created a funnel of wind that stirred up the snow around her, giving anyone within a foot of her an icy painful slap. Fiorella's leadership was something to behold, as she led her team to ultimate victory. Together, they were a virtually unstoppable team, and if Chaos wasn't the (co)master of many planets, he would have stood no chance whatsoever. But as it was, he held his own fairly well against the adrenaline-pumped teenagers.

For the most powerful being on this planet and the next, Chaos could be a sore-loser (although sometimes it could be endearing). Even so, the match ended with the four children wrapped in one large purple blanket in front of Axel's enticing fireplace, with Chaos gazing at them in heartwarming fatherly affection. There were mugs of hot cocoa with marshmallows for all (Axel's-orange, Amy's-white, Fiorella's-green, Peirce's-blue) and the feeling of comrary in the air was almost tangible. The rosy cheeks and content smiles only confirmed that it had been a very merry chaos Christmas indeed.

* * *

**Me: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I know it's a little late, but I'm a proud Roman Catholic, and Christmas is an important holiday to me. And so, I have Christmas cookies for every one of you who reviewed. (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) I honestly wasn't expecting any reviews - I just wanted to try my hand at this. After the idea sprouted in my head, I just knew I had to put it down. Thank you to all of you who were nice enough to take an interest in my story. I'll try my hardest not to let you down. This is the start of 5 one-shots about the Elementals' life with Chaos. They're just fluffy little stories, but I would appreciate it if you would read them. The plot will progress after they're done.**

**Annie (WeepingTARDIS1): She originally had Percy refferring to himself as 'Percy' in the story, but everyone called him 'Pierce'. Believe me, that was super confusing.**

**Me: Says you, you evil beta. **

**The Elementals: MERRY CHRISTMAS~!**

**CURRENT SCOREBOARD (including previous reviews)****:**

Annabeth: 4

Fiorella: 11

Amy: 2

Zoe Nightshade: 3

Jason: 1

I was really surprised by how many people liked Fiorella. I was actually very worried that you would reject her because she's an OC. I was also surprised by how many people became angry at Annabeth. Don't forget to send in your votes!

And for all those who asked, any questions about Nera/empousa will be answered in upcoming chapters.


	5. Happy Birthday, Pierce!

**RainbowMinnieMuffin: I'm completely willing to make this Pertemis if I get enough votes. I'm glad you like my story, though! **

**Jojo: They are indeed going to go back to camp! I have it planned for chapter 8. If you think that's too long to wait, I could change it. Thank you so so so much for all your support and wonderful reviews, they give me lots of motivation. I can't tell you how much they mean to me. Thanks so much for defending me in your latest review!**

**Lord Revan Flame: I wasn't really planning on bringing in anymore OCs (the three I made were specifically tailored for their element), but I'll be sure to let you know if I require any. Thank you for your review, and I'm sorry if the lack of romance disappoints you.**

**Guest: Fiorella wasn't made specifically for Percy - she was made specifically for her element. I'm sorry if she's not to your liking. Thank you for your reviews!**

**Guest: I'm sorry, but I do NOT plan on killing off Annabeth. Thank you for reviewing, though.**

**Shade: I'm so flattered! To hear that you have taken such a liking to my story really does mean so much to me. Reviews like that make me smile. And don't worry, I am ignoring him for the most part. Thanks so much for defending me.**

**Matt: Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize that some people such as yourself might actually lack enough common sense (or eyesight, for that matter, since I did point it out) to believe I am unaware to the fact that is not Christmas. One more thing. Ever heard of constructive criticism?**

**All Reviews Who Voted: Thanks so much for casting your vote! You're making a difference in this story.**

* * *

**AFTER ANOTHER TEN YEARS OR SO**

* * *

Pierce was just minding his own business at his desk in his room, drinking a smoothie and listening to music through his headphones. The setting sun peeked shyly out from behind his bubble-splattered curtains. Now, when a tale begins with 'so-and-so was just minding his/her own business' you _know_ something's going to happen.

When Pierce suddenly felt warm flesh cover his eyes and slip his beloved headphones slip off his head (gasp!), he immediately reacted by bending the fluids in his drink right into his captor's face. A ferocious tidal wave of warm fruity liquid obeyed Pierce's hand movements and sloshed right on to the person's head.

"Yuck!"

Pierce turned in his seat to see Amy wiping her face off with her pale hands, milk dripping from her pale peachy locks.

"Oh. Sorry about that, Ames," Pierce snickered.

"Gross, Pierce! But you're supposed to follow me to Fiorella's room - I'm under strict orders," Amy grumbled.

Pierce shrugged and got up from his desk. He followed the muttering Amy out the sandy-yellow doorway and down the hallway.

* * *

A pillow to the face was the warm greeting Piere received upon entering the earth elemental's bedroom.

"What the...?" Pierce complained, as the rose-shaped pillow fell to the green carpet.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Fiorella smirked, from her cross-legged perch on the bed.

Pierce took a moment to look around. He had never been in Fiorella's room longer than a minute or so before, and maybe his ADHD was to blame, but he was curious. The room was small, with a vibrant green carpet that reminded Percy of grass. The pale (_very_ pale) brown walls were painted with dark brown branches, curling and stretching majestically across every wall. Fiorella sat atop a bed with a frame made of birch, and a white lacy canopy with green peeping out from beneath the holes in the lace hung gently around the frame. The emerald green velvet comforter was tucked neatly into the sides of the bed, with baby pink bedsheets. There were pillows in the shape of a tulip, a sunflower, and a daisy on the bed, plus the rose-shaped one that still lay at Percy's feet. Other than that, there were two regular pillows the color of dusty earth. Next to the mahogany sliding-door walk-in closet was a sakura-patterned curtain that separated the bedroom from the rest of the room. On the other side (Pierce quickly stuck his head through) a knit hammock hung from two (real) trees on the right wall. A black desk with a lime green laptop and a red lamp on top, a green swivel chair beside it, were positioned across the room, and a small plot of petunias, daisies, sunflowers, marigolds, lilacs, and other flowers that Percy couldn't quite identify basked in the dusky sunlight just a few feet to the right. Through the wooden door cracked open at the end of the room, he caught a glimpse of a polished red-wood sink, with bronze cabinet doors.

"So...what did you want me for?" Pierce inquired, still looking around.

"Go get your PJs and stuff. Go, now. Shoo," Fiorella shooed him out the door.

Pierce pouted "No one appreciates me."

Axel laughed from his place on the swivel chair "Sorry, Pierce. It's a secret."

Pierce grumbled at his three best friends, but dutifully turned and plodded around the room.

* * *

"I'm back!" Pierce called, walking into Fiorella's bedroom with a blue backpack slung over his left shoulder.

He was greeted with silence and darkness.

"Hello?" His call echoed back at him through the silence.

Puzzled, he pushed back the curtain and walked hesitantly into the second half of the room.

"Guys?"

With a yelp, the wind Elemental crashed down from one of the trees, and landed at a very startled Pierce's feet.

"Amy!" Fiorella popped out from behind the other tree, a frown decorating her lips. "You blew our cover!"

"Sorry!" Amy replied sheepishly, picking herself gracefully off of the carpet.

"It's alright," Axel reassured her, stepping out from behind the bathroom door.

"What's going on?" Pierce demanded.

"We were supposed to surprise you and yell 'Happy Birthday'. But it didn't turn out too well," Fiorella muttered, crossing her arms in obvious frustration at the failed operation.

"Birthday?" Pierce echoed, not bothering to hide the surprise splashed across his like cheap paint.

"A month ago, you told us your birthday is Augustus 18 - today. We never knew when it was before, so we could never celebrate it in the past," Axel reminded him, fiddling with the hem of his black muscle shirt.

Pierce could feel a mysterious warmth spreading from his chest to the rest of his body, heating up his face and making him feel...loved. He hadn't felt this treasured in years.

"Well, nothing we can do! Let's get this party started!" Fiorella sent him a discreet wink.

* * *

"Blue pizza?" Pierce cried, pleasantly shocked.

"We all know you like it," Axel teased.

"Pass the blue coke, please!" Amy chirruped.

It was obviously no secret that Pierce adored blue food. Every single edible substance in the room was blue. Blue pizza, blue coke, blue dolphin-shaped cookies, blue star-shaped cookies, and of course, a blue cake. It was Pierce's version of food heaven.

"Where did you guys even find all this stuff?" Pierce mumbled through a mouthful of blue cookies.

"Chaos," Fiorella replied simply, taking a swig of her blue coke.

"Why am I not su-HEY!" Pierce shrieked (A/N: It was a totally manly scream...). "GIRLS! Axel's stealing my cookies!" he complained, managing to sound like a whiny five-year old.

It was true. Axel's head snapped upward, his face resembling that of a deer caught in headlights, his hands clutching a smiling starfish cookie.

"Give it back!" Pierce screamed. He jumped up, and chased after poor Axel, who was making a mad dash for the bathroom. Axel jumped inside the bathroom and slammed the door in Pierce's red face. The girls sitting on Fiorella's hammock laughed hysterically at the two boys and their obsession with cookies.

"OPEN THIS DOOR AND GIVE ME THAT COOKIE BACK!" Pierce roared, pounding on the locked door. On the other side, Axel slumped to sitting position in his hiding spot (the bathtub). A sigh of relief escaped his lips, as he began to nibble on his stolen treat...

* * *

"Your PJs are so...blue," Fiorella remarked bluntly.

"Why thank you," Pierce replied smugly.

They were referring to Pierce's choice of nightwear. They were blue plaid flannel pants, and a white t-shirt with the Finding Nemo logo smacked in the center like a child's sticker.

"They're...unique," Amy offered. She was hanging upside down from Fiorella's bed in a pink spaghetti-strap with one flowy, glossy layer on top of the other, and loose white satin pants that brushed her ankles.

Axel smiled from his spot, leaning against the wall, watching the water elemental and blue elemental exchange snarky comments. He wore black sports shorts that reached his knees, a white drawstring encircling his waist. A red t-shirt with hung loosely around his top half.

Fiorella's muddy brown mid-thigh length shorts and pale green shirt appeared faded and casual, but she pulled off the look with surprising flair, her brown hair in it's typical French braid over her shoulder. Without warning, the sunflower-shaped pillow went flying through the air and landed squarely on its target - Fiorella's face.

The room was filled with a tense silence. Amy and Axel glanced between the earth elemental and Pierce, who looked more shocked than anyone else that he had managed to dig deep and find the audacity to perform that daring move.

The pillow fell away from her face, revealing her ruby red lips curled into a devilish grin, a mischievous glint hidden in the facets of her emerald eyes.

"You wanna play, fish-boy?" she whispered, subtly snatching the tulip pillow from its place on the bed.

With one quick swipe, Pierce's head was knocked sharply to the left, and Fiorella was grinning triumphantly.

"Bring it, dirt-brain!"

Pierce took a wild dive for Fiorella, but she managed to evade him by leaping nimbly to the left. Instead, Pierce hit poor Amy right in face, knocking her off the bed in a tangled heap of hair and girl.

Suddenly, it was as if the pillows had grown wings - the soft balls of cotton were being tossed like bees on steroids around the room, pelting the Elementals like a hailstorm.

"For Narnia!" Pierce yelped, jumping off the desk and bringing a barrage of pillows down on Axel's head. He cackled triumphantly as the boy disappeared under white, blue, red, and green pillows (no one really questioned how the pillows from the other elementals' bedrooms appeared in Fiorella's room).

But his victory was short lived, as Fiorella tackled him, pillow in hand, sending him flying into the bed. Pillows fell from the air and stung the three fallen elementals' faces. Amy's catcalls resonated from atop the bedpost. They were cut short by a red poppy growing in a pot beside the closet increasing in size tenfold and lashing out to snag the girl around her waist, pulling her to the ground with a **_thud_**.

A silence followed the sound of a body hitting the ground...before peals of laughter erupted from the teenagers' mouths, hysterical laughter filling the room with absolute happiness.

When Chaos peeked in to check up on the children (we can't have any incidents happening, now can we?), his gaze fell upon four sleeping forms, their chests rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He smiled as he draped blankets across the four teenagers, their heads brushing against each other softly in their peaceful circle of rapport and love.

* * *

**Me: The ending was sucky, wasn't it? Oh well.**

**Me: I want to sincerely apologize to anyone who gives a care about this fanfiction about the update-less week. I had a project due, and my stress level was over the moon. Regardless, this chapter is up now, and I plan to go back to my regular update schedule of releasing a new chapter every Monday. 'Case, y'know, Mondays suck, and I'm trying to make them just a little more bearable.**

**Me: I want to thank all of my reviewers. I honestly wasn't expecting to have 65 reviews! _65 and it's only chapter 4._ You guys are the best, thank each and every one of you so much for all your support. Sorry if this end note makes no sense, I'm hooked up to this machine to help me breathe, and I can hardly hear myself think over the noise it's making.**

**CURRENT SCOREBOARD (including previous reviews)****:**

Annabeth: 9

Fiorella: 19

Amy: 2

Zoe Nightshade: 4

Jason: 1

Artemis: 1


	6. Axilia

**Nutmeg Loves Books: Wow! I'm so flattered you think so highly of my story! 0/0 It really made my day **to read** your review. The Elementals should be going to Earth in chapter 9, which will be released sometime next week. Thanks!**

**Guest: Thanks so much for your praise! To hear that my story stands out to you**...**it really means so much to me.**

**Jojo: I'm glad you got the hint of Percy/Fiorella I snuck in there. ;) An award? WOW! I honestly didn't think I was that good! Thank you so very much, your review made me feel so special.**

**Guest: You bet I will. ;)**

Candycrum**: Yessir! Will do, captain!**

**Pernicoshipper89: Thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely do that from now on! Don't be afraid to make requests like that, I don't mind at all.**

FiOrella**: Funny, I don't remember making Fiorella sit down and read my story... ;)**

**You Know Who: Very enthusiastic, aren't we? I like that! (P.S. Umm do I know you?)**

FlamingPhoenix:** Thank you! It makes me very happy to hear that.**

**Reader: The ending was a bit _halting_, wasn't it? I'm sorry about that.**

**Guest: Really? :D Thank you!**

**1864dauntlessdemigod: I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you very much!**

**Cooljoanna14: Wazzup? :D I hope you can hold on until next week, because that's when they descend to Earth. ON SPACESHIPS! No, that was a joke. But they will be arriving next week. And don't worry, you're not rude at all. I was actually worried abut that myself, so since this chapter is pretty short, the next one will be posted in the same week.**

**Icarus Grim: You made it just in time! I was about to post this chapter, but checked my email first. ;)**

* * *

Pierce stared at the fire-hydrant-red blushing Elemental before him. Axel's freckles were on fire (literally), and his golden eyes were staring a hole into Pierce's comforter.

"You're...in love...with Amy?"

"W-w-well, I'm not sure if you'd call it love, I mean I haven't even known her for a century, and I don't think she likes me back, and I think she's just being nice because I'm so pathetic, and well, y'know, she's..." Axel babbled, the fire on his face flaring, his hands flying in wild frantic gestures.

"Dude, she got you hook, line, and sinker," Pierce concluded, smirking at his almost-brother's steaming face.

Axel choked and fell off the bed.

"So tell me how this..._development_ occurred," Pierce laughed, extending a hand to the fire elemental.

"W-well...when I first met Amy and heard her story, I felt a little bad. I mean, I know I wasn't there or anything, but fire is my forte, and I feel somehow..._responsible_," Axel said, staring at his hands as if the blood of Amy's family was on the skin at that very moment.

"I started spending more time with her, trying to help her in any way I could. You know, to make amends. But I guess I got a little too comfortable around her because..."

And the freckles were flaming again.

"Because you fell hard for her," Pierce's smirk returned.

"You're supposed to be helping me," Axel muttered, but he could have been speaking to the floor, either one was fair game.

Pierce patted confidently patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry about a thing, man. This will be the perfect confession!"

"Wait!" Axel called, attempting to halt Pierce's mad dash down the hallway. "I never said I wanted to tell her how I feel!"

His efforts were futile, as Pierce disappeared into Fiorella's room.

"I'm _definitely_ worried now..."

* * *

"What do you mean, _what does a girl want in a perfect confession_?" Fiorella squeaked, blushing and self-consciously tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The poor girl was being stared down by a wide-eyed and determined Pierce.

"Exactly what I meant. How do girls want to be confessed to? Girls like Amy?" he pressed.

Fiorella visibly wilted, twisting her head to stare at the floor. Oblivious as ever, Pierce glanced at the floor to see what might be so terribly interesting.

"Well, she's a fairly girly girl...as redundant as that sounds, so that's one lead. And I can imagine that she would like something with a bit of her element..."

"Yes! Thanks Fiorella! I'll go tell that to Axel!" Pierce cheered.

"_Axel_ is the one confessing to Amy?" Fiorella perked up, eyeing him cautiously.

"Of course! Thanks for all your help, I'll go make a plan with Axel!" Pierce leaped off the chair, dashing to the door. A strangled sound resembling that of a dying squirrel/mouse found its way out of his mouth, as the hem of his t-shirt dug into his skin.

"Hold on. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it _right_," Fiorella smirked. She dragged the water elemental to her desk, pointedly ignoring the stupid grin on his face. She yanked out a pencil and a piece of paper.

"First of all, I think _here_ would be the best location..."

* * *

Pierce could see the neon-red blush on Axel's face (seriously, that guy's ability to blush was _legendary_) all the way from his hiding spot in the pond (being the water elemental of Chaos and a son of Poseidon, he could obviously breathe underwater). He glanced up, looking for Fiorella. She was so cleverly hidden in the branches of the weeping willow that Pierce only knew she was there because he was searching for her. She sent him a thumbs-up, and pointed to the nervous redhead sporting a beige dress shirt rolled up to his elbows and black dress pants and sweating profusely. The golden platform levitating near the top of the atrium was, they had decided, the perfect romantic setting for Amy and Axel. The pond, the weeping willow, and a small garden were the only plants on the landing, as opposed to the lush vegetation below them on the ground.

They could clearly see Amy skipping towards him, jumping on each smooth gray stone on the airborne path leading to the platform. The skirt of her baby pink dress with a white sash around the waist floated with every bounce, the silky material floating up every so slightly.

"What's up?" she greeted him cheerfully, looking up at his panicked face. "Why did you call me?"

Axel's nervous swallow resounded through the atrium.

"Let the show begin," Pierce whispered.

"T-there's s-s-s-omething I want to t-tell y-you," Axel stuttered.

"Yes?" Amy's sky blue orbs of innocence bore into his frantic gold. (A/N I like that...'orbs of innocence'.)

Axel took exactly five steps back, and took a deep breath. _Pang...pang...pang._ Three notes counted off, before music started to waft through the air. Fiorella adjusted the stereo to give it better acoustics. Axel's lips parted...and he began to sing.

_I'm no Superman, I can't take your hand_  
_And fly you anywhere you wanna go, yeah_  
_I can't read your mind like a billboard sign_  
_And tell you everything you wanna hear, but_

_I'll be your hero_  
_Cause I_  
_I can be everything you need_  
_If you're the one for me_  
_Like gravity, I'll be unstoppable_

_I, yeah I believe in destiny_  
_I may be an ordinary guy with heart and soul_  
_But if you're the one for me_  
_Then I'll be your hero_

_Could you be the one? Could you be the one?_  
_Could you be the one for me?_  
_Then I'll be your hero_  
_Could you be the one? Could you be the one?_  
_Could you be the one for me?_  
_Then I'll be your hero_

_Searchin' high and low_  
_Tryin' every road_  
_But if I see your face, I barely know (yeah)_

_I put my trust in fate_  
_That you will come my way_  
_And if it's right it__'s undeniable (yeah)_

_I'll be your hero_  
_Cause I_  
_I can be everything you need_  
_If you're the one for me_  
_Like gravity, I'll be unstoppable_

_I, yeah I believe in destiny_  
_I may be an ordinary guy with heart and soul_  
_But if you're the one for me_  
_Then I'll be your hero_

_Could you be the one? Could you be the one?_  
_Could you be the one for me?_  
_I'll be your hero_  
_Could you be the one? Could you be the one?_  
_Could you be the one for me?_  
_Yeah, I'll be your hero_

_So incredible, some kind of miracle_  
_That when it's meant to be_  
_I'll become a hero_  
_So I'll wait, wait, wait, wait for you_

_Yeah, I'll be your hero_  
_Cause, I can be everything you need_  
_If you're the one for me_  
_Like gravity, I'll be unstoppable_  
_(be unstoppable)_

_I, yeah I believe in destiny_  
_I may be an ordinary guy with heart and soul_  
_But if you're the one for me_  
_Then I'll be your hero_

_Could you be the one? Could you be the one?_  
_Could you be the one for me?_  
_Then I'll be your hero_  
_Could you be the one? Could you be the one?_  
_Could you be the one for me?_  
_Then I'll be your hero_

As Axel sang the last line, two doves seemed to emerge from the glowing sunlight at the top of the atrium. They flew in graceful swoops, landing gently on Amy's outstretched arm. One dropped a silver charm bracelet with a rosy heart dangling from it into her palm, and the other placed a folded note beside the bracelet. Amy carefully unfolded it, and read the words read in a slightly sideways but completely genuine handwriting.

_**Will you go out with me?**_

There was that stretch of silence that seemed to last for eternity. Fiorella's, Pierce's, and Axel's breath was bated, as they studied Amy's expression. Slowly, she looked up.

"I..." she began.

"Of course I will!"

In a single motion, Amy's arms were wrapped around Axel's neck. The poor boy's face was priceless, but it quickly cracked and dissolved into one of great relief and delight.

He buried his completely red face in her wild peachy locks, as they embraced. The sunlight hit the lovers in a way that seemed to make the aura of happiness around them almost tangible. Axel's stupid grin was stuck on his face as he fastened the charm bracelet on to her wrist. Together they walked down the levitating stone path, to the door of the atrium. As he looked up and saw Fiorella smiling broadly at the newest couple, Pierce couldn't help but feel his own smile widen. Their mission had been a complete success.

* * *

**Me: Behold...Axilia! It's basically just a mix of Axel and Amilia (Amy's full name), in case you were wondering. And Axel and Amy changed into something fancier than usual for this little...'event'. *smirking***

**Me: WAIT! THIS IS IMPORTANT, READ THIS! That song was 'Hero' by Christopher Wilde. It's one of my favorite songs, but I've never seen the movie it was originally made for (it's called 'Starstruck' - is it any good?). THIS SONG IS NOT MINE. And in case anyone was curious, Percy and Fiorella argued for hours over 'Hero' or 'Just The Way You Are' another one of my favorite songs. But they ended up with 'Hero' of course, just because it sounds more fitting for Axel to sing.**

**Me: Don't forget to cast in your votes! Percabeth or Piercella? Or maybe another couple?**

**Annie (WeepingTARDIS1): NOO! NOT AXILIA!**

**Me: Oh yeah. Sorry if this had a bunch of mistakes, a certain beta reader/tester refused to proof-read this because she doesn't ship Axilia.**

**Annie: AXELLA ALL THE WAY! (Axel and Fiorella)**

**Me: AXELLA IS LIKE PUTTING FRANK AND ANNABETH TOGETHER. IT DOESN'T WORK, STOP POISONING THE MINDS OF THE READERS. Yeesh, you should be glad Isha was willing to help out! Her comments were as follows...**

1\. I love the song Hero by Christopher Wilde. Good choice.

2\. I love the story!

3\. I totally ship Axilia!

4\. I ship Piercella and Percabeth, but in this story, Piercella.

**CURRENT SCOREBOARD**

**Fiorella: 30**

**Annabeth: 21**

**Amy: 4**

**Zoe: 4**

**Jason: 1**

**Artemis: 3**

**Nico: 2**

**Apollo: 1**

**Okay, so I admit to messing up a bit with the tallies. I forgot to add in a whh, SO I started from scratch and counted again. Sorry about that! But in all honesty, it was kind fun tallying them up. Fiorella and Annabeth were neck-n-neck for a while.**

**The next chapter will be posted on Wednesday or Thursday. See you then!**


	7. Piercella

**Just a friendly reminder, sentences in apostrophes and italics are Pierce(Percy)'s thoughts.**

* * *

How had it happened? How had things come to this? Pierce swallowed nervously, and glanced back at the doorway to Amy's room, where Amy and Axel were grinning and sending him encouraging thumbs-ups. Pierce fiddled with the index card in his hands, nervously glancing up and down the hallway.

Was it wrong of him to hope that she wouldn't come? The whole situation was downright nerve-wracking. But there she was, emerging from the secret door at the end of the hallway, and striding own to the girls' end of the corridor. Her glossy brown french braid hung over her shoulder, and she was dressed in her usual attire, a knit layered long-sleeved jade shirt, dusty brown leggings, and mud-colored combat boots.

_'It's now or never.'_

"Hey, Fiorella!" Pierce called, swaggering over to her with the most jovial smile he could muster.

_'I wonder if I can use my powers to stop sweating profusely...'_

"Hey, Pierce."

"So...I was wondering if you want to take a walk with me to the atrium..." he murmured, twiddling his thumbs and playing with the hem of his hoodie.

_'Go away, ADHD!'_

"Sure, I'd love to," she replied, smiling gently.

She started to walk away, down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" he called, already beginning to panic again.

She sent him a strange look. "To the atrium...?"

_'Styx, I am **so** stupid.'_

"Wait for me!"

* * *

"S-so..." he stuttered.

"That sunflower over there is doing nicely, don't you think? I'm so glad, I was afraid it wasn't getting enough sunlight." If Fiorella was aware that he was a nervous train wreck, she didn't let on. She pointed to a sunflower that, to Pierce, looked like _every other sunflower_. But he just nodded absently.

"Uh...why don't we go sit over there?" he blurted, pointing at a stone bench that was just the right size for two people.

"Okay?" she looked at him curiously.

Pierce desperately wished he could slam his head against the nearest tree and scream _'Stupid!'_ numerous times.

It was now obvious Fiorella knew something was up. Her wide green eyes peered up at Percy's face, reflecting worry. Most likely worry about his mental stability, which was indeed questionable at the moment.

"What's wrong?" she whispered. In one deft movement, her tanned hand was covering his sweating one.

Pierce had never realised that he missed the tingling that would shoot up and down his arm when the girl he loved touched him. He held faint memories of Annabeth's skin connecting with his, and small bolts of electricity flowing up and down his arms. But this was _**different**_. When she laid her hand over his, in the atrium, with the beautiful backdrop full of flora, all alone, it felt so much different than anything else he had ever experienced. Fireworks exploded underneath his exterior, heating up his skin, and sending his heart into insane backflips.

And that's when he knew. He loved her, and he wanted to do this _now_.

"U-u-um I made something for you," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Carefully, he produced a small domed container made of ice from behind his back. It shimmered more brilliantly than crystals and diamonds embedded in high-quality glass, the Sun hitting it just so, creating a magnificent cylinder container.

Fiorella's eyes widened, as she gently accepted the masterpiece into her hands, taking caution not to drop the precious gift.

"Open it," Pierce requested eagerly.

Slowly, she twisted the top portion off...and gasped.

There wasn't anything extravagant inside. No other-worldly gems, or flattering jewelry. There was a small lilac, growing in the dirt at the bottom of the container. Its soft lavender petals pointed up toward Fiorella's wide-eyed face.

"Pierce..." she breathed.

"I'm sorry, I don't really have a green thumb." Pierce began to ramble. "I mean, I tried growing it, and I almost drowned it a bunch of times, and it's probably too small and poorly grown and I..."

"Pierce."

"Y-yes?"

"Shut up. This is beautiful."

Relief washed like a tidal wave across hi face, his blush increasing tenfold. He examined her face for any signs of sympathy - any sign that she was accepting his gift out of pity for his lack of skill in agriculture. Her face was flushed and her wide emerald eyes were shining with an innocent gleam of happiness and tender love as she stared at the lilac.

Maybe it was the ADHD, or the adrenaline, that made him act on impulse. Maybe that impulse wasn't the wisest thing in the world. There are so many 'maybe's in life.

But what _**wasn't**_ a maybe was what happened next. Her lips, the color of glittering rubies, were suddenly pecked by a salty pair. Her eyes widened comically, a vast contradiction to the way he had squeezed his eyelids shut. The moment had been quick and fleeting, and now an awkward silence filled the air. That calm before the storm.

Her free hand was ghosting over her lips, her eyes bearing a hole into his head.

_'I'm so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!'_ If Pierce could have one wish, he would choose to take back that move. Or jump off a cliff, that would suffice as well.

But only in his wildest dreams could he have conjured up a notion of what occurred next. Those rubies came crashing right back on to his mouth, and suddenly the world seemed just a little bit brighter. To anyone watching, it was clear he was experienced, while her kissing skills were obviously lacking. But to Pierce, she was his Heaven on Earth, his sanctuary in this cold, dark universe. To him, it was the perfect kiss, better than anything he could ever ask for. To him, she was flawless.

When they finally broke apart, their blushes were bright enough to light up the whole room without the help of the glittering afternoon sunlight.

"First time..." Fiorella mumbled inaudibly.

"Excuse me?" Pierce inquired, his smile unwavering.

"That was my first kiss," she mumbled into his chest.

"Well then." Pierce could hardly contain his blazing smile "I'm honored."

* * *

**Me: This story is for all of those Piercella fans out there! I'll be updating on Tuesday or Monday. See you then!**

**P.S. If this chapter upsets you, just remember that I could easily break up any of the couples in upcoming chapters.**


	8. Returning To The Past

**Alex: I haven't given Chaos much screentime, have I? Thank you for your suggestions, I should work on that.**

**wolfknight117: Thank you!**

**ReallyInfinity: I see what you mean. Coincidentally enough, this is the first chapter to be in another Elemental's POV, however short, and was planned in advance. I'll definitely put some deep thought into your suggestion, thank you. I also hope now that the plot is progressing, the story will flow a bit more. I hope this chapter answers any questions about 'friends receiving immortality'. And I think Axilia and Piercella are going to hang in there for a while. Thanks again!**

**Guest: I've been brainstorming petnames for Fiorella...Fi? Fio? Ella? Flower? Well, her names does mean flower... And rest assured, the drama with Annabeth is on its way. ;)**

**Jojo: Yes, I am a wizard! I ATTEND HOGWARTS! :D I wish. I'm glad my update frequency satisfies you. I just want to say I really appreciate your constant feedback, and I truly value them. And don't worry, I myself am none too keen on breaking up Piercella. ;)**

**Cooljoanna: WOW. Piercella made your entire _week_? _You_ just made _my_ week! Thank you!**

**Candycrum: I'm so glad you like it!**

**Widsith18: I can picture Chaos in a really good mood for the rest of the week, and teasing the new couple. Like, they're eating lunch together, and they start holding hands, and all of a sudden Chaos pops in and starts making kissing noises. XD**

**Guest: I definitely will!**

**So-Many-Ships-It's-An-Armada: I was actually thinking of doing a separate fanfiction about the Elementals' adventures, but I didn't think anyone would read it. Maybe I should after all...? And I hope I don't have to break up Axilia and Piercella, but I'm not supposed to show too much favoritism. ;)**

**xXOmegaMasterXx: Thank you so much!**

**Astral8: Almost gave me a heart attack there! JK. But it makes me happy to hear you enjoy my story enough to read further chapters.**

* * *

**THE ONE-SHOTS ARE OVER! ON TO THE PLOT! **

_**Roughly 200-250 years after Chapter 3...**_

* * *

Fortunately for Pierce, he was awake when the alarm went off.

He wasted absolutely no time in jumping up and dashing down to the throne room at the speed of light. Now, you might be thinking _'Dude, chill. The last time Chaos set off the alarm, he wanted to party._' But I should probably explain that was the only time Chaos took the alarm lightly. The last time it went off, they had been in a life/death situation (sure, they're immortal, but still).

The Elementals were assembled in an organized line before the throne in seconds. They bowed simultaneously and rose in perfect unison.

"My dear Elementals..." Chaos sighed. His posture sagged, and his swirling eyes were immensely apologetic. Alarm bells were already ringing themselves silly inside his head.

"What is it?" Amy whispered softly, her gentle demeanour often being the best choice in the event that someone was in need of comforting.

"I am very sorry, I truly am. But your job as Elementals is to help worlds in need of your assistance..." he began, obviously unsure of how to word his news.

"Chaos..." Pierce began, dropping all formalities.

Chaos lifted his head from his milky pale hands to stare Pierce directly in the eyes. Galaxies met sea-green, and Pierce knew in that instant that his world was about to flip upside down and inside out.

"We must assist Camp Half-Blood in their upcoming war."

Pierce's mind took this convenient opportunity to send him hurtling through flashbacks. Blackjack. Beckendorf. The Stolls. Katie. Clarisse. Leo. Jason. Piper. Frank. Hazel. Annabeth. Nico. Reyna. Thalia. Mom. Paul. **Annabeth**. He would later swear he could hear the sound of fragile porcelain smashing to pieces on hard floor all around him, as his life was altered forever.

"I...but..." Pierce stammered.

"Pierce?" Fiorella whispered gently, taking his sweating hands in hers.

"Shh..." Amy whispered, her voice floating across the room like a breeze. The four wordlessly gathered into a group hug.

"Are you sure you want to do this? To face your past?" Fiorella questioned, scanning his face.

"We understand if you don't want to do this. This takes an incredible amount of strength," Axel added.

"Y-yeah...we promised to help anyone in need," Pierce replied as firmly as possible. He turned to Chaos, his face grim with determination.

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as I debrief you on your mission," Chaos replied. "There is another rise to power stirring on Earth."

"Typical," Pierce groaned. "Why can't anyone ever be content with just buying a plot of land and sticking to it? But _nooooo_ they have to achieve _world domination_. I swear, some of these villains are more dramatic than Zeus and Chaos combined."

"My, that would be very hard to manage." Fiorella chuckled.

"Should I pack some hardhats and earplugs?" Axel suggested, attempting to alleviate the mood with a joke.

"That may be wise." Chaos managed to crack a smile. "This new rise to power is a collaboration between two immortal beings by the name of Ouranos and Tartarus. You are only required to stay there until Ouranos and Tartarus have been put back to sleep, and then you are free to return here if you so wish to."

Only Chaos caught the glimmer of fear that passed through the three Elementals' eyes as they glanced at Pierce.

"This should be simple enough," Pierce tried for a lighthearted tone. "It's not like I haven't tucked two other primordials back into their immortal beds before in my lifetime."

With that, the water Elemental turned and retreated to his bedroom. Concerned gazes burned a hole in his back on the way out.

* * *

Fiorella hardly felt the throbs of pain in her lip as she bit down on it. Her fist was raised hesitantly above Pierce's door. There was no reason for her to be nervous or hesitant - after all, this boy was her boyfriend, and she was simply offering him her support. She wasn't doing anything wrong. But even as she thought it, she already knew the reason. Pierce was facing his past life, which included his former friends and family, his former _girlfriend_. What if...what if he decided he liked his old life after all? What if he wanted to stay on Earth? _What if he abandoned the Elementals for a normal life on Earth?_

_'Stop_' a voice inside her head chided _'You know his fatal flaw is loyalty.'_

She shook her head to clear the swarming doubts. She couldn't afford to think like this while Pierce could need her. The door made hardly a noise as it swung open.

"Pierce?" Fiorella called softly.

Said hero was laying in his bed, bouncing a ball made of his element against the sandy-colored walls. His usually sparkling seagreen eyes were dull and vacant. It was as if his soul had departed from his body and left his body there, an emotionless husk.

Despite his silence, Fiorella walked over to his bed and wrapped her arms around him. His body remained limp (save for his left arm) and his gaze remained on the wall.

The couple laid like that, in a silence that spoke hundreds of unvoiced thoughts. Finally, Pierce gave in to the turmoil inside him. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and sobbed quietly into her shoulder.

"I guess I always knew, somewhere deep inside me, that I would have to face them again someday. Recieve closure and all that, y'know? And I guess I thought I was ready. But...the thing is, I don't think I am," he whispered, his breath ghosting over the tip of her ear.

Fiorella's grip on the boy tightened. "You can never be ready for this sort of thing. None of us can."

That was one major rule amongst the Elementals. It was always okay to cry.

* * *

Annabeth's day was going fairly well, before the meteor shower. That morning, she had eaten breakfast with Calypso, Piper, and Katie. The girls had snacked on smoothies and crackers as they confided about everything to each other, from boy troubles to teaching classes to difficult demigods in the arena. Everytime Calypso brought up her Leo, Piper joked about her husband Jason, or Katie complain about her husband's latest prank, Annabeth felt her heart clench, as if some invisible malicious force has wrapped an icy fist around it and squeezed mercilessly.

"Have you packed yet?" Calypso finally asked, giving Annabeth a worried glance over the top of her smoothie.

"Yeah." Annabeth allowed for a small smile. "I want to get started as soon as possible."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait just a little longer?" Katie frowned. "I heard a rumor the Hunters are coming in a week or two."

"No." Annabeth replied immediately. "I want to find him."

Piper dove in just before the conversation could take a turn for Awkward Avenue. "I think it's sweet how you're dedication allows for not even one day of rest, but try to consider relaxing just a little bit. Too much stress isn't good for you."

Annabeth sighed, her head coming to rest on her palms. "I know. I do enjoy the half of the year that I spend here at camp. But I wouldn't pass over the other half of the year I spend looking for Percy even if you offered me the world."

"Well then, we won't be the ones to try to stop you. C'mon, we need to go teach classes soon, and Calypso needs to get back to her lover and his forge." Katie sent a discreet wink in Calypso's direction, to which the Titaness summoned her dignity and ignored.

Annabeth volunteered to wash the dishes, to which the two girls hesitantly agreed to. She waved as they walked out the door of the Big House.

Washing the dishes proved to be another one of those moments in which Annabeth was able to drown herself in her thoughts. As per the usual, her mind eventually landed on the topic of **_Percy_**. Oh, how she had failed him. She, as well as the rest of the camp, had awoken one morning to the Romans in their camp. Not a huge deal in and of itself, but what was truly strange was the Romans claiming they had come days ago (according to a calendar), and the campers had come to greet them. None of the Greeks could recall anything of the sort, or anything from the previous days for that matter. And that was when it had struck Annabeth - why she was feeling so hollow. Percy was gone. The entire camp had put the current dilemma on hold to search for the only son of Poseidon. Annabeth herself had scoured the entire camp, not stopping even when the campers summoned Reyna and Nico, the Hunters, Amazons, and even the gods. Each and every immortal being swore on the Styx that they had nothing to do with it (Hera was on recieving end of many dirty looks). Yet he could not be found, even when the Hunters were dispatched to search everywhere within a 50-mile radius, and the gods scanned their domains for the boy. Poor Poseidon was heartbroken, and despite Athena's protestes, sat with Annabeth as they both wept.

Who had put the camp under a sort of sleep? Had Percy gone to seek help and never returned? Had he been abducted by monsters?

Annabeth didn't know, and lack of knowledge was one thing that absolutely infuriated her. But not knowing was nothing compared to not having her Seaweed Brain with her.

Now she she shared the same immortality as the Hunters, along with many of her friends, and her goal in life was to find him. Hades and Nico had assured her he could not be found in the underworld. Therefore, he was alive. After all, the only place outside of the gods' view was Alaska (in which she had left no stone unturned, no field of grass uncombed) and...  
No. She refused to think about that awful place. The only reason she had been able to survive it was her lover, and now he was gone.

But she would find him. She would.

* * *

An explosion rocked the air, Annabeth dropped the bar of soap in the sink and raced to the door of the Big House.

"Annabeth!"

She turned at the sound of her name to see Jason waving her over.

"Quickly!" he exclaimed. "We need to get the kids to saf-"

_**BOOM! CRSHHHH!**_

The immortal demigods dove for cover, pressing their backs against the wall of the big house. Debris and rock flew through the air in deadly archs.

"EVERYONE TO THEIR CABINS!" Annabeth ordered at the top of her lungs, fighting to be heard over the chaos. (A/N AHAHAH pun!)

Jason was already flying off to find Piper and pass the orders on to the panicking mass of demigods. Annabeth sprinted off to the lake. Jason surely had the Arena covered, between his powers and Piper's charmspeak. She found a group of demigods and a few satyrs hiding in the stables.

"Everyone follow me to the cabins!" Annabeth commanded, leading the shaken group to the circle of cabins. Jade Trujillo, a 16-year old daughter of Athena, assisted Annabeth in guiding the children to their cabins and holding the door open for them before heading to Cabin 6 to soothe her siblings. Once she was sure the camp was nearly empty (save a few stragglers) she sought out the source of the explosions (she had counted four in all). It didn't take a child of Athena to trace the explosions to the streams of smoke wafting through the air by the beach. The beach. Percy's special place. Annabeth felt her blood boil.

Apparently, she was the last one there. Katie, Travis, Leo, Calypso, Jason, Piper, Nico, and Will were already at the sight.

"Meteors?" Annabeth frowned. Four smoking meteors, black as night, were embedded in the charred sand, still smoking from their impact.

"Guys, this could be a huge discovery! Demigod encounter with martian kind for the first time! We'll be famous for being the first ones to spot the little green dudes all chanting 'take me to your leader'." Travis joked.

"We'd have to give 'em Annabeth then. Or at least until Chiron shows up." Leo laughed, earning himself a free a smack over the head from Calypso, no extra purchase required.

Annabeth held up her hand for silence.

"They're opening."

* * *

The meteors were cracking open like nutshells. A split formed down the middle, steam pouring out like a sauna. It was like some sort of rock concert, with the clouds of fog rolling off in waves to enhance the dramatic entrance of the band. Out of each of the meteors stepped a figure, four dark silhouettes against the smoke.

The eight demigods reached for their weapons. Travis twisted his fingers into the 'alien handshake'.

"Chaos needs to work on his method of transportation," a male voice complained.

"You know he lives for dramatic entrances," a female voice sighed.

"Guys...we have some company," a nervous male voice piped up.

"No, really? I'm pretty sure four flaming meteors hurtling to the Earth wouldn't attract any attention at all," a sarcastic female voice replied.

"Show yourselves!" Annabeth demanded, her voice ringing out across the mist parted in one magnificent whoosh, leaving the four figure standing on the sand.

The mist parted in one magnificent whoosh, leaving the four figure standing on the sand.  
There was a boy with fiery red hair, as if a crackling campfire had become frozen in time, then placed on his head. His eyes were a warm gold, not like the shining metallic gold of Hazel's eyes, but the warm golden glow of the Sun. His skin was a toasty brown, like marshmallows lightly cooked over a fire. He wore a simple black muscle shirt and beige cargo pants with numerous pockets, with brown waterproof boots on his feet. Standing next to him was a girl of just slightly smaller stature than the rest of the group. Her blue eyes, set in pale skin, matched a clear sky exactly, with a sort of easygoing affection sealed inside them. The girl's hairstyle was impossible to pinpoint, with small drafts blowing around her and tossing her pale peach locks everywhere. She sported a baby blue tank top, with a soft pink ribbon stretching across just above her midriff. Below the ribbon, layers of scalloped blue fabric folded over each other all the way down to the waistline of her knee-length white denim shorts. A bit to her left (Annabeth's right) was a girl that reminded her ever so slightly of Reyna. Her ramrod-straight bands hung just above her faceted emerald eyes in a perfectly straight line across her tan face, and her glossy (very very) dark brown hair hung in a neat french braid over her shoulder. Her choice of clothing was a knit grade t-shirt, with a long-sleeved jade shirt underneath. The ends of her brown leggings were tucked into dark brown combat boots. The final person, all the way to Annabeth's right, was a boy holding the hand of the brunette girl. His face was shadowed by his the hood of his, well, hoodie for lack of a better word, an elaborate blend of blues and greens. Tufts of raven black hair that dipped like waves in the ocean peeked out from underneath the hood. Navy blue men's skinny jeans ended at his ankles, just before sandy yellow sneakers that would have matched the color of the sand, if it were not charred from the meteor impact.

"Hello." the girl the with the windblown hair cracked a smile.

Annabeth was the first to make a move. She unsheathed her drakon-bone sword and laid it on the ground. The other demigods followed suit, laying their weapons on the ground in a gesture of peace. They looked to the newcomers expectantly. The girl with the straight brown hair was the first to return the exhibition by laying down double axes made of glinting green metal and blades of bronze. The boy with the red hair laid down a wooden club, which looked mundane enough, but Annabeth sensed it held more power than it let on. The girl next to him with the baby blue tank top placed a bow made of white wood and sky blue arrows on the sand, and the last boy with the shadowed face put gleaming silver sword on the ground, with dark cerulean lines curling up the hilt, seeming a bit reluctant to do so.

"Now that that's over with, let's start with the introductions," the girl with emerald eyes (most likely their leader) suggested.

"You destroyed _our_ beach. I think you owe us an explanation," Annabeth countered firmly.

"She has a point. We should clean this up," the blue-eyed girl whispered to her comrades, her voice carrying out like a breeze.

The boy with the red hair snapped four times, and the meteors dissapeared. The male in the cerulean hoodie gestured with his free hand and a wave washed in and swept the charred sand into the sea.

"We're sorry about that. This _is_ a rather nice beach," the boy in blue apologized.

"I'm Amy," the pale girl said.

"Axel." The redhead waved stiffly.

"My name is Fiorella," the leader girl nodded to them.

"The name's Pierce, don't wear it out." The boy in the hoodie's tone seemed light and playful, but there was a sort of underlying sadness woven into it. It made Annabeth's heart ache just listening to it (though it sounded strongly familiar, for some reason...).

"_Perce_?" a strangled voice choked out.

All eyes swiveled to Nico, whose pale complexion had managed to drop another five shades as he stared wide-eyed at the raven-haired newcomer.

"Percy Jackson?"

* * *

**Me: **DUN DUN** DUH!**

***dramatic organ music***

**Fiorella: Where did that come from? ._.**

**Me: Oh, I have a friend who plays the organ. **

**Will: Okay...? 0.0**

**Me: Anyway, I wanted to dedicate this chapter to my beta-tester and best friend since we were reeeeally little.**

**Percy/Pierce: Reeeeally? **

**Me: Reeeeeally reeeeeally.**

**Annabeth: Well who is it?**

**Me: WeepingTARDIS1! Thanks so much for everything all these years. Love ya!**

**CURRENT SCOREBOARD:**

So I decided to put up a poll located on my profile for the votes. If this works, my life will be fifty million times easier, since tallying up the votes normally takes a while. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience to anyone. If your vote is not an option, feel free to leave a review with your vote.


	9. Still Returning To The Past

To confess or not to confess - that is the question. Or, at least it was. Pierce thought he would have more time to debate with himself on the matter of revealing himself to his former family. But it seemed that fate (or rather, Nico) had forced the decision upon him prematurely. Or maybe that was just his opinion. Maybe it was indeed time to come to terms with his past. He opened his mouth to speak...

"Nico, he said Pierce. Not...Perce," Annabeth replied softly, her voice cracking as her soft pink lips formed his previous name.

"Ah...I'm sorry. Your name...it just sounded so much like...his..." Nico mumbled. He wasted no time in burying his head in Will Solace's chest, allowing his back to be patted and his ears to be filled with soft words of reassurance.

Why was everyone so upset? Did they...regret pushing him out?

"If you don't mind me asking...who is this Percy Jackson?" Pierce asked, trying to adopt a casual air. He hid his trembling hands in the front pocket of his hoodie.

Will sent a glare his way (a 'this-is-a-sensitive-subject-do-not-make-my-boyfriend-upset' glare), but Jason was the one to answer.

"Percy Jackson the son of Poseidon, was a great man, a hero. Around 200 years ago, the camp underwent a period of time where everyone was put under a sort of dreamlike state. We're not entirely sure what exactly happened - but when we woke up, he was gone. Maybe he went to look for an antidote, or was captured. Everyone searched, both camps, the Hunters of Artemis, the Amazons, and even the gods, but he seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth. We've been searching for him ever since."

_WHAT? _What did they mean they didn't know? What did they mean they'd been searching? Surely they were lying...weren't they?

"Jason," Piper whispered. "You're assuming they know about the gods!"

"We do," Fiorella interjected. "I'm a demidryad." (Pierce was glad his girlfriend was able to think up an excuse as to why they knew about mythology without revealing him.)

"A demidryad?" Calypso frowned. "Is that even possible?"

"Grover would know!" Leo exclaimed, before Fiorella could get so much as a word in.

Pierce bristled. _Grover_. He hadn't seen him in so long, even before he was betrayed. He was glad to know that his best friend was still alive and well...maybe if they met again, Grover would be the first to know about the water Elemental's true identity.

"You guys are missing the point. We still don't know why these people are here," Annabeth argued, her steely gray eyes pinned on the Elementals.

"Indeed, my daughter."

Pierce's gaze fell upon the 12 immortal beings striding out from the camp, their heads held high, and a golden aura surrounding their figures. The grey-eyed dark-haired one had just spoken, yet her critical eyes were already analyzing the quartet.

"Hello, Athena," Pierce sighed, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone. He remembered the days when he had fought against her for Annabeth's hand...

"And who are you?" Athena returned, her eyes narrowing to cold slits that looked scarily similar to Annabeth's.

"We are The Elementals," Fiorella replied firmly. "And we bring foul news."

* * *

"What is this foul news you speak of?" Zeus boomed, his voice a thunderclap booming across the beach.

Pierce caught a glimpse of Poseidon peering nervously at him. He sent a silent wish up to Chaos that the god was merely intrigued by the aura of the sea rolling off him in waves (A/N PUN!), and did not recognize the demigod as his former identity.

"We have received word that you are the target for an upcoming attack, and we, as guardians of the galaxy, were sent by our general to assist you in any was possible to ensure your safety."

"Who is this 'general'?" Hermes questioned.

"Are you saying there's going to be a war?" Ares asked, a fire igniting inside his boiling red eyes.

"Our general is Chaos. Surely you know of him," Amy replied.

"And how are we to believe you?" Athena demanded, obviously still wary of the newcomers.

Axel lifted his palms skyward. "You will have to trust our word."

Zeus lifted his master bolt with the evident intention of striking them down. As he did, a pitch-black lightning bolt flew down from the sky and struck the ground between the groups. A shudder rippled across the land from the impact. When the smoke had cleared, an emblem of the galaxy with the symbols of the four elements surrounding its four corners was emblazoned on the ground.

Zorro's blazing Z came to mind.

"Fair enough," Zeus rumbled, hiding his shock and slight fear under a pretense of disappointment at being denied the chance to smite someone. "Hermes. Send for all allies. It appears we have a battle to prepare for."

"Yes, father. I assume you mean Hades, the Roman campers, Hunters, Amazons, minor gods, Bob, and Damasen?" Hermes replied, busying himself with his caduceus. Zeus gave a stiff nod.

"We heard Bob and Damasen were imprisoned in Tartarus after closing the doors of death?" Pierce said, lifting an eyebrow. He considered this an impressive attempt at concealing his thunderstruck emotions, and allowed himself a mental pat on the back.

"Seeing as they were innocent, not to mention a colossal help in the war against Gaea, a rescue mission was dispatched to retrieve them from the depths of Tartarus, with some technical difficulties," Annabeth replied. She casted a sideways glance at the Elementals, her suspicion obvious. It truly was unnerving to Pierce how similar the mother and daughter were.

"Oh? _**He**_ was a 'technical difficulty'?" Travis Stoll glared daggers at her.

At first, Pierce was confused at Travis' obvious anger. Then realization came crashing down on him like a pile of bricks. _He had not yet seen Connor Stoll._

* * *

**Me: YES I REALIZE I HAVE NOT UPDATED. BUT BEFORE YOU FLAME ME, CAN I JUST SAY I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR BEING SICK? SITTING IN AN EXTREMELY MISERABLE HEAP ALL DAY DOES NOT EXACTLY ALLOW FOR WRITING.**

**MeL Other than that, yeah, I know this was short, and I'm sorry. I'll be updating in another 5 days again.**

**Me: Another thing. I noticed I haven't been getting as many reviews, because people just use the poll to cast in their votes. I won't lie to you guys, it makes me a bit sad, but hey, life is full of ups and downs. 'CAUSE LIFE'S LIKE A JUMP ROPE ;D**

**Me: So, just to clear up any misconceptions, I'm going to make a few things clear...**

**1\. The demigods are immortal because they gained immortality, unless they die in battle, so they can search for Percy Jackson**

**2\. They themselves are unaware of everything that took place with Nera (they describe it as being in a sort of 'dreamlike state for many days and then he was gone'). THE PLOT THICKENS!**

**Connor: Wait, I'm dead? I died in battle? Then why am I here?**

**Me: CONNOR, NO! GO! HUSH! YOU'RE SPOILING THE NEXT CHAPTER. *drop-kicks Connor Stoll off a building***

**Me: Have a nice day! See you in 5 days!**


	10. There's No Turning Back Now

Pierce's breath hitched. How could the fates be so cruel as to separate the Stolls, look-alike pranksters who had never been apart for more than a day in their whole life? It was downright brutal.

"Okay, maybe fighting off a water-downed version of Tartarus wasn't exactly a technical difficulty," Annabeth admitted. "Anyway, you should be glad we're going to see the Roman campers ahead of time. You get to see your brother even earlier than usual!"

"Yeah, it sucks that his girlfriend has to live in Camp Jupiter," Connor sighed.

_Connor Stoll had landed himself a girlfriend?_ Pierce hadn't thought it possible. But then again, Travis had managed to convince Katie to go out with him, so maybe miracles happen after all.

"Come on, guys. We need to get ready for their arrival. And someone also needs to.." Annabeth trailed off, gesturing to the Elementals.

"I've got it." Piper volunteered, despite Jason's protests. "Well, Elementals, as Piper Grace, your diplomat and guide around Camp Half-Blood, I ask you to please follow me." Her tone and choice of words were friendly enough, but Pierce could see it, see it burning in _all_ of their eyes - suspicion. He stifled a bitter smile.

"We'll see you tomorrow, then?" Fiorella inquired curtly.

"How about we strike up a deal," Piper suggested, "In the mornings, you train ten of our most promising campers. In the afternoons, we exchange battle plans, strategies, and skills."

"Fair enough," Amy shrugged.

"You can stay in the..." Jason trailed off, glancing around frantically for an solution to the problem at hand..

"Don't worry. We can provide ourselves with means of shelter," Axel said kindly.

"So be it," Annabeth replied.

* * *

"I did it," Pierce let out a shaky laugh. "I actually did it." The forced laughs shook his tense body, creasing the cerulean and seagreen bedsheets beneath him. His forever-bedraggled hair with slick with sweat. Darn, why had he never asked Chaos about using his powers to control perspiration? "But why would they pretend what happened to me was a mystery? They don't know who I am, or rather used to be, therefore there's no reason to keep the truth from me, especially because I have enough power to go against the gods and win. Maybe as a precaution?" Only in the safety of his personal thoughts did he dare ask the deepest and most thought-provoking question. _They couldn't be telling the truth...could they?_

"Well we can't answer those for you," began a female voice from the doorway, "but we sure can do our best to cheer you up."

Pierce's aching head lifted (all that thinking sure was wearing out his think pan! [See if you can catch that reference!]) to see his family standing at the entrance to his temporary room.

Axel lifted the movie in his hand for Pierce's inspection, and Amy threw a popcorn at his head.

Ignoring the popcorn in his hair, Pierce stood and walked to the trio. "This movie, man?" he said, squinting at the title. "Dang, we haven't watched this in forever!"

"That's why we chose it, smarty," his girlfriend replied, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "So quit your moping and come have some fun with us."

Pierce laughed and leaned over to ruffle Axel's hair. Despite the fire elemental being taller by an inch or two, he succeeded, and Amy decided she wanted to try as well.

Fiorella watched as the two boys and the petite girl tried to insert the DVD into the small television's player while making 'sneaky' attempts at messing up each other's hair, and generally made a huge ruckus. Thank Chaos the walls were soundproof. Yet despite the happy atmosphere and the success (however temporary) at enlightening her boyfriend, she still felt as if a heavy weight were strapped to her heart. She knew she should be happy. In fact, it was downright mandatory for her to keep up a positive front for Pierce. Because he needed her. And Fiorella, Elemental of Choas, was _**not**_ the type to let other's down. She steeled herself and crossed the room to join them.

_Even is our time together is drawing to a close...even if he decides he wants to stay here...I'll treasure the time we have left. Sulking when you could be celebrating is a waste of time._

_I've learned the hard way that sometimes the happiness doesn't last as long as you had anticipated._

* * *

Axel was the first one up, as always. When the Sun began to rise, so did he. He often counted himself lucky that Amy was sometimes up early as well, sometimes just as early as him, but her wakings fluctuated like the wind. Kind of like her personality. For the majority of the time she was laidback and optimistic, but when she was mad, she was a sight to behold, and just as scary as Fiorella. It reminded him of that time he got stuck in a hurricane. The wind was pushing him back, and it took every ounce of his being to oppose it and trudge in the desired direction.

If anything, those two girls proved that fighting with a woman and actually _**winning**_ truly warrants bragging rights.

Unfortunately, Tyche appeared to have better things to do than bless him with spending time with his girlfriend, watching the Sun climb higher in the sky, and the birds awaken. In other words, Fiorella was the next one to venture down the stairs and into the cottage's small kitchen (so he and Pierce had given into their girlfriends' pleading, so what? It wasn't the first time).

"Good morning," she said, pouring herself some cereal.

"Mornin'," he mumbled through his glass of orange juice.

A comfortable silence broken by only the chirping of birds and the crunching of cereal ensued. Axel took this as an opportunity to allow himself to drown in his thoughts. Despite the fact that he had led armies from many different planets into numerous battles countless times, he found himself feeling anxious at the thought of interacting with these campers. They would be different. Nevermind that some of them were barely teenagers, he couldn't shake that underlying feelings of _resentment_ he left every time he saw the immortal campers. These people were the people who had scarred Pierce, his brother (not biologically, you know what I mean), the people who he sacrificed everything for, the people that he won _wars_ for, at the age of sixteen no less, and they dumped him on the streets. Axel couldn't fathom for the life of him how they could be so heartless to such a noble soul. He couldn't count the number of times he'd accidentally seen Pierce digging the torn orange t-shirt from the bottom of his drawer, sighing as his fingers traced the faded words. The sight always sent a multitude of piercing needles (no pun intended) into his heart.

"Do you ever wonder...if maybe our adventures are coming to an end?" Fiorella's voice broke through his thoughts.

"I don't know," he replied quietly. "But I am getting the feeling that something...something big is going to happen. And I'm not sure what it is, but I know that we are forever a family, and that will never change."

A soft smile graced her ruby lips, and she stood up, stretching. "Well said, Axel, even if some of us are dating and that would therefore be incest. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go rouse my lazy boyfriend. Training begins early."

"No need," Pierce mumbled lazily, stumbling through the doorway. "I'm...*yawn*...I'm up."

"Monring, sleepyhead," Fiorella said, crossing the room to peck his cheek.

"Mornin' beautiful," Pierce returned, waking up enough to cast his signature smirk at her. He slipped Amy off of her piggy-back on position on his back.

"Hey Axel~!" Amy chirruped, skipping across the kitchen/dining room and helpng herself to the rest of his juice. He smiled and embraced her from behind.

"You guys ready to train some unsuspecting victi-I mean, children?" Pierce snickered.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Axel sighed, his toasty breath heating up a section on Amy's peachy head.

"I think you'll be excellent instructors!" Amy smiled. "Pierce is funny, Fiorella's patient, and Axel is sooo sweet."

"You forgot the part where you're the gentlest, strongest, most optimistic girl in the world," Axel whispered, hugging her just a little tighter.

"I'd love to hear more self-esteem-boosting speeches and deep meaningful compliments being thrown around, but if we don't leave now, we'll be late," Fiorella interrupted, glancing at her watch (which was made of ivy and precious gems).

"Darn, she's right," Pierce said. "C'mon guys. It's all about the first impression, right?"

* * *

"I'm counting eleven kids," Pierce frowned.

"That's because there _are_ eleven," Fiorella responded, "even though we agreed on ten."

"Maybe it's 'cause those two are twins, and they're a package deal," Amy whispered, gesturing discreetly to a boy and a girl in the huddle.

The boy reminded Pierce a bit of Nico, except darker, and instead of sad and misunderstood, he seemed...cruel, yet defeated. His soft jet-black hair hung over his downcast eyes, revealing nothing about the color of his irises. he had a black leather jacket that fit him so well, Pierce suspected it was custom-made, and a plain bloodred t-shirt underneath it. Gray jeans ended in heavy-duty laced up obsidian combat boots. The snarky attitude rolling off him in waves suggested he should be wearing a smirk, but instead he held a weary frown. His sister, on the other hand, appeared to be his polar opposite. Her black hair was more maintained (as most girls' hair was), and braided over her shoulder. She sported a purple mini-dress shirt with red flowers and brown leggings, a leather jacket matching her brother's exactly over it. She bounced on the tips of her red high top converse, and her black eyes shone with warmth (yet there was a sort of dark undertone...Pierce couldn't quite place it). They didn't share very many similarities - the boy was even taller than the girl by several inches- but there was something about the way the stood close, the way they shared the smallest quirks such as chewing on thier lips or scuffling their feet, that left no room for debate.

For some reason, something about them unnerved him, so he turned his attention to the other chosen demigods. Whispering to each other were two girls, both wearing violet Camp Jupiter shirts. The one on the left held herself with pride, a fierce dignity and strength in brown eyes behind glasses. She even somehow managed to make braided pigtails look serious. Her Camp Jupiter shirt was wrinkle-free, just like her skinny-jeans, and her combat boots were planted firmly into the ground. Piere immediatly recognized her as a leader. The girl on the left had a noncholant look about her, or at least compared to her friend. Her curly dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her Camp Jupiter shirt was partially covered by a zip-up sweatshirt. Her sneakers tapped the ground impatiently, and Pierce couldn't help but notice that she had excellent balance. As he looked on, a boy with short brown hair and electrifying blue eyes strolled over to them, grinning to himself. He snuck up behind the leader-like girl, and breathed down her neck, presumably saying something along the lines of 'boo'. The girl did not appear to be at all pleased with him, and promptly elbowed him in his zip-up black jacket. He pantimoned horrible abdominal pain, clutching the spot where her elbow had connected with his gut, the other girl laughing beside them. This appeared to be a regular antic of his.

Standing a little ways to the left was a trio of girls. The shortest one was dark-skinned, had messy black hair to her shoulders, and her black eyes sparkled like gems as she smiled and said nothing, occasionally laughing at her friends' antics. Her black skull hoodie, dark skinny jeans, and posture that suggested she would much rather merge with the shadows than be noticed hinted that she might be a daughter of Hades. The other two girls sported the blond hair and gray eyes that marked them as daughters of Athena for sure. The one in the middle was gesturing and laughing, her wavy blondponytail swinging at the slightest movement. Her cutoff jean jacket was studded with diamond rhinestones along the cuffs and hem, partially obscuring her orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. The other daughter of Athena appeared to be calmer, but by the reactions of her friends, she appeared to be the most...how to put it...insane? Morbid? Hyper? Unique? Yeah, unique was good.

The last mini-group was two boys and a girl. The girl had haphazard tufts of raven hair and seagreen eyes, alight with mirth and mischeif. Her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt fit her nicely, hanging over a pair of light blue skinny jeans and blue sneakers. Her resemblance to Percy Jackson was strong, making it lucid she was a daughter of Poseidon. Pierce's heart skipped a beat at the thought - _he had a sister. _With a flawless California tan, slicked back blond hair, blindingly white teeth, and sky-blue eyes, the boy on the left fit the stereotypical surfer boy image perfectly. He wore a purple SPQR shirt, dark skinny jeans, and and cleats. He and the daughter of Poseidon were having a poke-fight. The boy on the left sported a mohawk of brown hair and a smattering of feckles across his face. His brown eyes laughed for him, so his lips only had to curve into a bemused smile. He was bouncing from foot to feet in his Nike cleats, which matched his neon Nike shorts. He seemed more hyper than most ADHD demigods.

Pierce surveyed the scene. He had his first impressions, as everyone always does, but he was not one to prejudge. There was only one way to determine who the true warriors were, and that was to begin training.

And so, begin he did.

* * *

**Me: Sucky ending (again!), yes I know. But oh well. Can I just say this is our first week back after spring break AND ALREADY WE'VE HAD FOUR TESTS AND THREE POP QUIZZES? Seriously! My brain is going to explode. **

**Me: Anyway, sorry about that. Complaining is a good stress reliever. But speaking of school, I have a question for everyone! I was worrying over the quality of my writing, and I said to myself "This sounds like a ten-year-old wrote it!" No offense, ten-year-olds. But my friend heard me, and disagreed. We debated briefly before she suggested I ask YOU PEOPLES what you think my age is! Feel free to ignore this, but if you want to guess my age, go ahead! Age or grade would both work. I won't tell you the answer, but like I said, I thought it would be fun to see your guesses.**

According to the poll I put on my profile...

Fiorella is in the lead with 18 votes

Amy is in second with 3 votes!

And Annabeth is in third with 2 votes!

Don't forget to cast your votes! And if you want to know, everyone else has 1 vote.

**Since I've been having trouble updating because I've been having a lot of tests, I'll go back to updating weekly. Sorry!**


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